The recent acquittal of Daniel Arizmendi López, known as “The Ear Chopper,” after 27 years in prison, has brought one of the most violent chapters in Mexican crime back into the public eye.
Arizmendi, who had been sentenced to 393 years in prison in 2003, was acquitted of kidnapping due to a lack of conclusive evidence, although he will remain incarcerated on organized crime charges.
The case has once again gained notoriety and brought back to the collective memory the interview he gave to Javier Alatorre in 1998, where he admitted his crimes with a coldness that marked a turning point in the country’s criminal history.
In the conversation recorded by TV Azteca cameras, Daniel Arizmendi acknowledged the magnitude of his crimes without hesitation. When questioned by Javier Alatorre about the total number of people kidnapped, he coldly replied, “21.”
He detailed the method of selecting victims: “Either through someone turning them in” or after investigating them, revealing the existence of informants or “lookouts” within his organization responsible for identifying those with resources.
