House of Death
Encyclopedia
The House of Death refers to a serial killing
site in the Mexican
city of Ciudad Juárez
, Chihuahua, where executions were committed by members of the Juárez Cartel
, some allegedly with the knowledge and participation of a United States
undercover informant known by the pseudonym "Lalo", who had infiltrated the cartel. According to policy of the United States Department of Justice
, undercover informants are not permitted to participate in acts of violence.
Guillermo Eduardo Ramírez Peyro, AKA "Lalo", was a former Mexican Highway Patrol officer and a paid informant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE), which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. "Lalo" also reported to the DEA
. After infiltrating the Juárez Cartel
, he worked with Heriberto Santillán Tabares and helped him murder people in Mexico.
"Lalo" had foreknowledge of planned killings and claims that he informed his US handlers of the intended crimes. It has been asserted that US officials, including Johnny Sutton
, the United States Attorney
of United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
, were aware of the murderous activities of the informant, but failed to intervene. Juanita Fielden, Assistant US Attorney, is a defendant in a law suit for wrongful death brought forward by families of victims of the "House of Death".
Torture and executions of suspected rivals and suspected informants took place until January 2004. Once the Mexican government became aware of the activities, a mass grave
containing at least twelve bodies was found in a house on 3633 Calle Parcioneros, Ciudad Juárez, which came to be dubbed the "House of Death." Santillán was convicted of trafficking by Johnny Sutton
, but in a plea bargaining agreement, he was not accused of murder, and "Lalo", the former informant for the US government, now sits in a high-security prison awaiting extradition to Mexico, which will be according to him tantamount to a death sentence. "Lalo" also claims that the United States Government still owes him money.
Subsequent to the publication of the "House of Death" story, the investigative journalist
of Narco News
, Bill Conroy, received visits at his office, his home, and to his employer from officers of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, an event that prompted a letter by former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney
reprimanding Johnny Sutton
for "an attempt ... to intimidate a journalist who has reported facts that are embarrassing to him".
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
site in the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
city of Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
, Chihuahua, where executions were committed by members of the Juárez Cartel
Juárez Cartel
The Juárez Cartel , also known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization, is a Mexican drug cartel based in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas...
, some allegedly with the knowledge and participation of a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
undercover informant known by the pseudonym "Lalo", who had infiltrated the cartel. According to policy of the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
, undercover informants are not permitted to participate in acts of violence.
Guillermo Eduardo Ramírez Peyro, AKA "Lalo", was a former Mexican Highway Patrol officer and a paid informant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security , responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation's border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security...
(ICE), which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. "Lalo" also reported to the DEA
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
. After infiltrating the Juárez Cartel
Juárez Cartel
The Juárez Cartel , also known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization, is a Mexican drug cartel based in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, Texas...
, he worked with Heriberto Santillán Tabares and helped him murder people in Mexico.
"Lalo" had foreknowledge of planned killings and claims that he informed his US handlers of the intended crimes. It has been asserted that US officials, including Johnny Sutton
Johnny Sutton
Johnny Sutton is an attorney who served as United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas from 2001 until 2009, and chaired the Attorney General's Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys. Sutton is known for the prosecution of United States Border Patrol agents Jose Compean and...
, the United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
of United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
The United States District Court For the Western District Of Texas is a Federal district court. The court convenes in San Antonio with divisions in Austin, Del Rio, El Paso, Midland, Pecos, and Waco. It has jurisdiction in over 50 Trans-Pecos, Permian Basin and Hill Country counties of the U.S....
, were aware of the murderous activities of the informant, but failed to intervene. Juanita Fielden, Assistant US Attorney, is a defendant in a law suit for wrongful death brought forward by families of victims of the "House of Death".
Torture and executions of suspected rivals and suspected informants took place until January 2004. Once the Mexican government became aware of the activities, a mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
containing at least twelve bodies was found in a house on 3633 Calle Parcioneros, Ciudad Juárez, which came to be dubbed the "House of Death." Santillán was convicted of trafficking by Johnny Sutton
Johnny Sutton
Johnny Sutton is an attorney who served as United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas from 2001 until 2009, and chaired the Attorney General's Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys. Sutton is known for the prosecution of United States Border Patrol agents Jose Compean and...
, but in a plea bargaining agreement, he was not accused of murder, and "Lalo", the former informant for the US government, now sits in a high-security prison awaiting extradition to Mexico, which will be according to him tantamount to a death sentence. "Lalo" also claims that the United States Government still owes him money.
Subsequent to the publication of the "House of Death" story, the investigative journalist
Investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...
of Narco News
Narco News
Narco News is an online newspaper that covers the "War on Drugs” and social movements throughout the Americas. Its articles are available in English and Spanish, with some translations in Italian, French, Portuguese, and German. Narco News is funded by the Fund for Authentic Journalism.The founder...
, Bill Conroy, received visits at his office, his home, and to his employer from officers of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, an event that prompted a letter by former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia Ann McKinney is a former US Congresswoman and a member of the Green Party since 2007. As a member of the Democratic Party, she served six terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives. In 2008, the Green Party nominated McKinney for President of the United States...
reprimanding Johnny Sutton
Johnny Sutton
Johnny Sutton is an attorney who served as United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas from 2001 until 2009, and chaired the Attorney General's Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys. Sutton is known for the prosecution of United States Border Patrol agents Jose Compean and...
for "an attempt ... to intimidate a journalist who has reported facts that are embarrassing to him".
See also
- War on DrugsWar on DrugsThe War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade...
- Vicente Carrillo FuentesVicente Carrillo FuentesVicente Carrillo Fuentes is a Mexican drug lord who heads the Juárez Cartel in Mexico, which controls one of the primary transportation routes for billions of dollars worth of illegal drug shipments entering the United States from Mexico annually.Carrillo Fuentes is currently at large and is...
- Mexican Drug WarMexican Drug WarThe Mexican Drug War is an ongoing armed conflict taking place among rival drug cartels who fight each other for regional control, and Mexican government forces who seek to combat drug trafficking. However, the government's principal goal has been to put down the drug-related violence that was...