Rubén Espinosa

Rubén Manuel Espinosa Becerril (29 November 1983 – 31 July 2015) was a Mexican self-taught photographer and journalist.

He worked for AVC News agency and Proceso and Cuartoscuro magazines.

He covered daily news and social protests.

He documented several protests where individuals were assaulted.

Espinosa was killed in Narvate, Mexico City, Mexico along with four women.

Espinosa was born in Mexico City, Mexico.

For the majority of his career, Espinosa concentrated on social movements and protests.

As a self-taught photographer and journalist, he began his career with Eclipse Photo in Mexico City, Mexico.

While with Eclipse Photo, his primary job was photography.

In 2009, he was hired by Javier Duarte during his campaign as governor.

Espinosa also worked in Xalapa, Mexico for seven years.

Xalapa is considered one of the most dangerous places to practice journalism.

Espinosa's interest in social movements led him to find employment elsewhere.

In Veracruz, Espinosa became a correspondent for Proceso and Cuartoscuro magazines.

During his employment with the magazine, Espinosa voiced his opinion regarding the treatment of journalists in Mexico.

Before his death, Espinosa had received deadly threats.

Espinosa began to receive threats towards him after the release of a photo of Duarte.

During a social protest Espinosa was grabbed and told to quit taking photos or else he would end up like other dead journalists.

Espinosa had also previously reported men standing outside his house and giving him intimidating glares and gestures.

In 2012, Espinosa covered a student protest against Governor Javier Duarte during the anniversary of the revolution.

During the protest Espinosa was grabbed and the man stated "Stop taking pictures if you don't want to end up like Regina".

In June 2015, Espinosa decided to leave Veracruz and return to Mexico City.

He reported experiencing symptoms of PTSD.

Espinosa left his friends and even his dog Cosmos in Veracruz to find safety in Mexico City, which was a known refuge for journalists.

Espinosa was found dead on 31 July 2015 with four female victims.

All five were found beaten and shot execution style.

The victims also had various signs of torture on their bodies.

The women who were found had all been sexually assaulted by the culprits.

The names of the women were not released at the time until days later.

The authorities believe that deaths occurred between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. A final text message was placed by Espinosa at 2:13 p.m.

Video surveillance caught three suspects walking out of the apartment.

One of the suspects took the car of a victim and drove off with it.

The car was later found abandoned on the outskirts of Mexico City.

The case was viewed as a burglary due to the various objects taken from the residence.

In August 2015, an unnamed serial rapist was arrested for the deaths of the victims.

His fingerprints matched up to the evidence found in the apartment.

There is still an ongoing investigation for the other two suspects caught on the surveillance video.

The police department in charge of the investigation do have fifteen statements as well as evidence and photographs.

Espinosa had reported threats being made towards him before his death.

Espinosa had previously had several run ins with the law while covering several social movements.