Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat
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The following is a three part video presentation by La Silla Rota which features an interview with a 16 year old sicario. In the candid responses the child hit man speaks of his life, family, drug use and killing. At times he becomes very emotional. I have translated the narrative under each video.
Part II
- I am 16 years old and I am a sicario (hitman) of the Zetas.
- I finished middle school. I started high school but I didn’t passed first semester.
Q: How long have you been a sicario?
- I have three months and a half
Q: So it is recent? How much do you get paid?
- 6 thousand pesos biweekly
Q: Oh! Well it is more that what a teenager could earn right?
- Yes
Q: How many people have you killed?
- It was a policeman and an abduction that we did
Q: But how many have YOU killed?
- Just the policeman
Q: How did you feel when you took the life away of the policeman?
- I was nervous because I was going to commit crime. While I was approaching him I was nervous and I told somebody to ask him (policeman) directions to get to a street and then I asked the policeman for another street and while he was explaining, that is when I shoot him. I was nervous, that’s all I can say.
Q: How did you get in this or why did you decided to get in?
- It kind of got my attention, most of all because I was curious about it, because of what I saw on TV or what was said on the newspapers. I was curious about it
Q: Did you want to kill people?
- Well I kind of felt that I wanted to do that but until this guy invited me to join and I said yes.
Q: Is there friendship where you were?
- Yes, there is friendship and family.
Q: And in your group?
- We never fought, we never had any problems, and we were always together. There weren’t any problems such as I am more than you or anything like that. They didn’t allow us to drink, if we drank, they would tell us “If you do it again, you’ll see (threaten)”. There was a guy that drank about three times and they tied him up.
Q: How many under ages are in the group?
- I am the only one.
Q: Would you do it again, would you kill somebody again?
- I think so, if I wouldn’t be caught, I would.
Part II
- I am 16 years old and I am a sicario (hitman) of the Zetas.
Q: Do you have your parents and how is your relationship with them?
- My relationship with them is good
Q: Who are you most close to; who would you tell everything to, you mom or dad?
- My mom
Q: Did your friend know about what you worked on?
- Yes, they know
Q: And what did they tell you?
- Nothing, just to take care of myself and be careful not to get caught.
Q: Did your mom, knew about it?
- Yes, actually, she cried every time I left to work, she would tell me to stay, she didn’t wanted me to go back to that job and told me to take care
Q: Do you have siblings?
- Yes, I have three..................(continues on next page)
Q: Are you the youngest, middle?
- I am the middle one
Q: How is your relationship with them?
- I am not in good relationship with the older ones.
Q: Why not?
- They don’t like me, I don’t know why
Q: How was your behavior from three months till now?
- Normal
Q: What did you talked with your mom? “Hey mom I killed two today” What did you talked with her?
- No I never talked about that. The group always told us when we got in that when we got home we should not talk about that because it was not something they should know. It was weird for you to talk about it in front of your mom because she has not seen something like it. It is weird for them. I get home and ask them how they are doing, if they need something for me to do. When I get home, they treat me well.
Q: Did they treat you better because you were giving them money?
- No I don’t think it was because of the money. I think it was because they didn’t see me much and I didn’t cause them any trouble because before I was very intolerant. If my dad told me something, I would argue about it or talk back to him, curse at him.
Q: Did you ever got into a fight with your dad?
- No, once or twice when he was drunk he told me to fight with him. I would say no and tell him “How am I going to fight you if you are my dad”, we never got to that. Thank God we never got to that. He would hit me as parent to son but we never got to fighting.
Q: Did your mom at some time told you to stop doing this?
- Yes but I couldn’t because when I got in the group they told me that if I wanted to get out, they would kill me
Q: And what did you tell your mom when she asked you that, did she give you her blessings?
- She would give me her blessings when I left, always, and told me to take care so anything would happen to me
Q: Were you aware that you could die any moment?
- Yes, I had that in mind. I always had that in mind
Q: Were you afraid?
- Not fear but to die and not tell my family. That was my fear.
Part III
Part III
- I am 16 years old and I am a sicario (hitman) of the Zetas.
The emotions of a young sicario
Q: What would you tell a kid that have a close relationship with you? If they ask you, hey why are you with chains. What advice would you give him?
- Not to do what I did
Q: Q: Were you aware that you could die any moment?
- Yes, I had that in mind. I always had that in mind
Q: Were you afraid?
- Not fear but to die and not tell my family. That was my fear.
Q: That your mom wouldn’t know?
- Yes, my mom or my dad
Q: Do you smoke?
- I smoke marijuana. I don’t like tobacco much
Q: What other drug do you use?
- I consumed cocaine for about a month
Q: How often did you consume it?
- Every time I got paid, I bought 5 or 6 passes (packages).
Q: So were you an addict of cocaine, did you like it?
- Yes, I liked it but I was not addicted to it, in a way that I wanted to buy it all the time. I would buy one and consume it and I would not crave for another one. Then I would buy another one or two next pay check and then I stopped buying it and bought only marijuana, it is what I like more.
Q: Why do you like marijuana more, how does it make you feel?
- The effect is good, it feel good, it relaxes you, make you calm and make you think about things, if you fight with your family and then you smoke one of it, it relaxes you and makes you think about why you did that and make you reflect about it, if you are alone but if you are with somebody, you start talking to that person in a cool way, relaxed
Q: Tell me the happiest day you’ve had?
- My birthday. That day my family made a cookout and my friends came. They congratulated me and hugged me to wish happy birthday.
Q: What has been your worst moment that you would not like to repeat?
- My worst moment was when I got expelled from school and my dad kicked me out of the house and I went to my brother’s house and asked him if I could stay with him and he agreed. I stayed there for a month, and then my dad, reconsidered, I guess and went to look for me and told me to go back to the house.
Q: Did your mom, knew about what you were doing?
- Yes, actually, she cried every time I left to work, she would tell me to stay, she didn’t wanted me to go back to that job and told me to take care. She would give me her blessings when I left, always, and told me to take care so anything would happen to me
Q: Do you have a girlfriend?
- Yes
Q: Does she know about what you worked on?
- Yes, I was with her when her father was caught and also when her mother was killed. She asked me to get out of this. When I had two months and a half in this, she told me to get out of this.
Q: Did you lack love?
- Yes, I lacked love. Since I was born until I was about five
Q: Why tell me?
- Because my dad was in cana (I think it is refer to as jail)
Q: Why was your dad in Cana?
- I don’t know why but we used to go visit him always. I really needed him to be more with us
Q: Do you think that was a factor for you being here?
- Might be
Q: You are going to be a long time away from your mom and you say she is the person that you trust her with your things. What are your thoughts, how do you feel?
- I would not be able to see them
Q: Imagine that your mom is here, that I am your mom; obviously you need to try to imagine it. What would you tell her?
- That I love her so much
Q: Let’s say that you are free tomorrow, that you have the opportunity of a new life. What would you do?
- Study; thrust forward because what I went through, the killing, what I felt was bad. I would not like to be a hit man again.