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Execution In Village Park: They Came For Him And Only Him
posted (May 3, 2024)
Last week, Benito Canelo's family celebrated his birthday, and now they are left to deal with the grief and the trauma of how his murder unfolded right in front of their home last night.

It's the north's second village murder in less than a week, only this time it happened in Patchakan village, a stone's throw away from a river crossing to Mexico. Here's what Jomarie Lanza learned from the family of the deceased today.

More than 17 expended shells were collected from the scene of last night's murder in Patchakan village. The blood stained park bench and grass now haunts the family of the 28 year old Benito Canela, a father of two, and cane farmer who had moved to the village a little under a year ago to be with his common law wife Indy Ruiz. The park in front of her mother's home was an oft - frequented place of socialization for the family, and it is where Ruiz saw her partner take his last breath, after an unknown gunman boldly waltzed up to them in front of numerous relatives and began unloading bullets, stopping at nothing until Canela was dead.

Indy Ruiz, Common law of deceased
"We had just finished having dinner and we always go out and sit down there at night. He was walking out and i asked him I asked him where he was going and he said he is going to call his daughter because it was her birthday. And so he said lets go so you can tell her happy birthday as well. I went with him and we sat down there he took out his phone to call his daughter and she wasn't answering. I told him it's Thursday and on Thursdays they go to church. we were all sitting, talking relaxing and there he was telling us jokes when a man come out from my father's yard and he called him "Hey" where are you going? And he said he came to buy a volt, and so he told him that its bad for him. We then saw him leave and he was laughing and we were still there. Then all of a sudden we saw another person walking towards us but he was covered, all his head, he was covered and when this person arrived in front of us he lifted up his head and his face was also covered. He saw it and he pushed me to his side and i fell thats when i heard the shots. I yelled at him to get up but he was already on the ground and so I ran to where he was and the shots continued. I hugged him and not a single shot touched me only him. No one else only him. They only wanted him, and there he was lying on the ground. The police came quickly and when he rolled over to look at me he only opened his eyes as if he wanted to say something but i don't know what he wanted to say. My little brother came and called him, Brother in law and he tried to speak again but he started vomiting blood and there we stayed. He couldn't anymore. He was shot more than 9 times."

Ruiz believes that the motive behind her husband's killing may be a case of mistaken identity. She says that Canela worked with her father, and hardly ever went out to socialize. She says they rarely left each other's side, and he never mentioned to her that he had received threats or was in danger.

Reporter
"Did your husband have problems with anyone previously?"

Indy Ruiz, Common law of deceased
"No."

Reporter
"He never told you anything?"

Indy Ruiz, Common law of deceased
"No he is a friendly man he talks to the whole world, and everyone in Patchkan, everywhere we go they greet him. he is friendly anywhere he goes in corozal, very friendly with everyone."

Reporter
"We know Patchkan is a route into Mexico through Ramonal. Would you say that whatever is happening in country might have any relation to the gangs or drugs that side?"

Indy Ruiz, Common law of deceased
"No he had nothing to do with those things he was always at home with us here with me, lying down. We were always together, wherever he goes I go, ever since we knew each other we have always been together, i never say anything, any bad movements nothing. All the time he was okay and he would say nothing good comes from those things. That's how we were, wherever he was I was there too. Wherever he went i would go."

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