They told her they had a surprise for her. In reality, they were leading her to the very spot where they would take her life—a scene they filmed, sending the resulting video to the victim’s mother.
The murder of Leyla Monserrat Lares Becerra—along with the sentencing of those who confessed to the crime—has shaken Sonoyta, a community situated in the border region between Sonora and Arizona.
The crime took place in Sonoyta on September 25—the day the girl went missing—and was recorded on a cell phone. The video was delivered to the family anonymously and was subsequently submitted to authorities as evidence.
In the footage, the victim can be seen inside a room containing a mattress and various objects scattered across the floor. The two minors sentenced in this case address the girl in a friendly manner, telling her they have a surprise for her—one she will never forget.
Leyla, 15, was bound at the hands, blindfolded, and asphyxiated by two alleged friends—Monserrat and Britany, aged 13 and 15, respectively. After murdering the girl, they buried her body in the backyard of a house and covered it with lime.
The body was discovered on October 2, bearing the signs of the passage of time and the effects of the lime, which accelerates the decomposition process.
