Mexican court orders release of ex-agent linked to Colosio assassination due to lack of evidence

A Mexican appellate court has ordered the release of former intelligence agent Jorge Antonio Sánchez Ortega, ruling that there is insufficient evidence to link him to the 1994 assassination of presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta. Sánchez Ortega had been recaptured in November 2025 by the Attorney General's Office (FGR), which accused him of being the second shooter in the assassination.

The federal judge had previously issued a formal imprisonment order for Sánchez Ortega, who was held at the Altiplano maximum-security prison. However, the First Collegiate Appellate Court in Toluca determined that the evidence connecting Sánchez Ortega to the crime, allegedly committed by Mario Aburto Martínez, was not conclusive. The court also stated that the statute of limitations for the crime had expired 12 years prior.

This decision represents another blow to the FGR's efforts in the Colosio case. The prosecution could still pursue an appeal through Colosio's family. However, the victim's son, Senator Luis Donaldo Colosio Riojas, has publicly advocated for closing the case and has even called for the release of Mario Aburto, who remains imprisoned.

The assassination of Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta occurred in March 1994 in Lomas Taurinas, Tijuana, Baja California. The case has remained a significant and controversial event in Mexican political history.