In a controversial incident that has polarized public opinion across Mexico, a 74-year-old woman took the law into her own hands after getting tired of people squatting on what she claimed to be her property.
The grandmother, identified as Carlota, fatally shot two men and injured a teenage boy in what she claimed to be an act of self-defense.
Highlights
- 74-year-old shot two men she claimed were squatting on her property.
- The victims' family claims to have had a valid rental contract.
- The case has sparked public debate and divided opinion across Mexico.
- Legal outcomes depend on proving property ownership amid rental fraud claims.
The confrontation unfolded last Wednesday (April 2) in the Ex Hacienda de Guadalupe housing unit in Chalco, State of Mexico. Carlota, accompanied by two individuals, arrived in a gray Ford Fiesta and confronted the alleged squatters.
Surveillance footage captured the moment when the elderly woman pulled a firearm and opened fire on the group, who were gathered in the residence’s patio area.
A 74-year-old woman was arrested after shooting three men who she claimed were squatting in her house
Image credits: Fiscalía General de Justicia del Estado de México
The attack ended the lives of 19-year-old Justin Márquez and his 51-year-old father, Esaú Márquez. A 14-year-old boy, who reportedly attempted to help them, was also shot during the confrontation, getting injured in both legs and rushed to the hospital.
Witnesses described the scene as “disturbing,” with family members screaming and pleading for the woman to stop as she continued to fire.
Image credits: c4jimenez
Carlota was subsequently arrested alongside her two companions. Authorities are currently investigating her alleged connections to a former Mexican congressman, Arturo Santana, as they believe her to be his mother.
Image credits: c4jimenez
As the news spread through the country, Carlota garnered both support and criticism, as some believe her actions, though extreme, stemmed from an ongoing and unresolved property dispute.
Carlota had allegedly gone to the local prosecutor’s office to report the illegal occupation of her house, but received no official assistance.
Her supporters believe this inaction was what ultimately led her to make the fatal decision of confronting the occupants herself.
The victim’s family, on the other hand, has strongly refuted the notion that they were invaders
Image credits: c4jimenez
Speaking to local newspaper Telediario, Daniela Reyes, a relative of Justin and Esaú Márquez, said that the family had a valid rental contract for the property, which they had found advertised online.
According to Reyes, tensions arose when her relatives entered their home one day, only to find Carlota already inside, claiming ownership and threatening to change the locks.
Image credits: Blog del Narco
The victims then requested Carlota to produce legal documents proving her ownership, but she refused. The situation kept escalating, eventually spiraling into deadly violence in a matter of minutes.
Image credits: Fiscalía General de Justicia del Estado de México
“Ma’am, we’re just talking calmly; we’re not offending anyone,” Reyes recalled one family member saying moments before the shooting began. “She just turned around, aimed at my father-in-law, and shot.”
The virality of the case is largely explained by the distribution of a video of the attack, recorded by one of the victim’s relatives.
The case has divided the public, with one side defending the woman and the other calling for her to be jailed
Image credits: Fiscalía General de Justicia del Estado de México
The clip quickly spread across social media, triggering a fierce public debate over whether Carlota was a cold-blooded murderer or a desperate woman failed by the system.
The legal situation for the grandmother is unfolding rapidly. The video and strong evidentiary trail means judges are expected to decide the fate of the 74-year-old soon.
Image credits: Fiscalía General de Justicia del Estado de México
Next steps will involve determining whether Carlota was truly the owner of the property. Investigators will need to scrutinize rental agreements, property deeds, and prior complaints Carlota may have filed about the alleged invasion.
Image credits: Fiscalía General de Justicia del Estado de México
Speaking to Grupo Imagen Televisión, a second relative, María, suggested her family was the victim of fraud by a third party who falsely claimed to have the rights to rent out a property.
“There are people who invade houses and then rent them,” she said. ”In this case, we didn’t investigate. My nephew didn’t check who was really renting it.”
“There was a conversation. She kept saying she was the owner, and my nephew asked her to prove it. She never did. That’s what triggered the argument.”
"People are fed up." Some netizens sympathized with the woman, feeling her actions were just
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