A Mexican Court has sentenced a citizen of Mexico, Roxana Ruiz, to six years and two months in prison for brutally killing her rapist, Sinai Cruz.
The court said the Ruiz killed her rapist in 2021, with ‘excessive’ force, even though it was an act of self-defence.
According to Judge Mónica Osorio, the sentence was delivered with mercy, as it considered the woman’s “vulnerability” being a woman and a mexican
Background
Roxana Ruiz, 23, knocked down Sinai Cruz and went ahead to strangle him to death.
According to the report, Ruiz proceeded to butcher the body of the man and waited not less than 20 hours before disposing of the dismembered body on the street in a plastic bag.
She was later apprehended and served nine months in pre-trial detention before she was released for the trial.
Lawyer react
This was widely condemned by the southern state of Oaxaca women’s organizations, the State where she came from.
The Women’s organizations also extended support for her during detention and trial.
Her lawyer, Ángel Carrera, expressed her deep concern on the judgment, as she fear it could generate lawlessness in the matter of rape.
She said the ruling could instigate “a bad precedent’ if it is not overturned.
The Oaxaca Ruiz also justified her actions by claiming she could be the dead one if not that she acted first.
“If I had not defended myself, I would be the dead one.” she lamented.
She also expressed her disappointment in the justice system.
She said, “I feel sad, disappointed in (the) justice (system), they locked me up for nine months, they give me a sentence,”
Ruiz’s attorney further announced that Ruiz will appeal the ruling by Judge Mónica Osorio.
Carrera included that this kind of judgment will send the wrong message to vulnerable women, stressing that they will fear to make any defence.
“It’s sending the message to women that, you know what, the law says you can defend yourself, but only to a point.
“He raped you, but you don’t have the right to do anything.” she concluded
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Court`s Decision
The Judge said Ruiz could have just knocked him down with a blow and not gone extreme in murdering the rapist.
Judge Osorio said “She could have given him a blow to the head to defend herself and leaving him unconscious would have been enough.”
She further included a reparation payment of $16,000 to Sinai Cruz’s family.