Headline: Son of Hidalgo Education Secretary barbarically murdered; son arrested for feminicide
In a grim turn of events in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Juan Pablo Cajero López, son of María Barbara Cajero López, a high-ranking official in the Hidalgo Education Secretariat (SEPH), was arrested on Christmas Eve for the brutal feminicide of his own mother.
María Barbara Cajero, who had just turned 64 on December 7, was found lifeless and badly injured in her home by police responding to neighborhood reports of domestic violence on December 22. Her son, Juan Pablo Cajero, alias "El Panqué," was apprehended the following day outside the General Hospital of Pachuca, where he had been treated for minor wounds.
According to the Hidalgo Prosecutor’s Office, the 24-year-old suspect was transferred to the Pachuca Social Reintegration Center (CERESO) after being presented to a control judge who issued an arrest warrant for him. His initial hearing, where formal charges are expected to be laid, is scheduled to take place in the coming days.
Earlier reports indicated that neighbors had twice called authorities on December 22, asking them to intervene in a suspected domestic violence incident at Cajero’s residence. However, the victim was already deceased by the time paramedics arrived.
Despite initial speculations, it is still uncertain whether there were previous tensions between Barbara Cajero and her son. Just a month before her tragic death, Cajero had shared a post on Facebook, seeking divine protection for her son. In it, she expressed her love and gratitude for her only child: "Hoy antes de comenzar este día como siempre le di gracias a Dios por sus bendiciones y tu eres una de ellas hijo," she wrote on his birthday, January 22, 2022.
Under Hidalgo’s penal code, suspects found guilty of feminicide can face sentences ranging from 25 to 50 years in prison, in addition to fines. The aggravating factor in this case is that a familial relationship is considered — a key requirement to classifying the crime as feminicide.
As the investigation unfolds, the prosecutors have taken up the case with a special protocol for gender violence and femicides. With this arrest, authorities once again underscore their commitment to eradicating these heinous crimes and bringing justice to the victims and their families.