Morelos issues arrest warrant in Spanish exchange student’s murder

The Morelos Attorney General’s Office (FGE) has issued an arrest warrant for Francisco Javier "N," alias "El Trompas," in connection with the murder of Spanish exchange student Claudia Tacoronte. The warrant was issued for charges of femicide, according to state Attorney General Fernando Blumenkron, who announced the decision on Wednesday.

The breakthrough came after authorities received evidence from the public and videos of the attack, which helped identify the suspect. Tacoronte, a 21-year-old student of Early Childhood Education at the Autonomous University of Morelos (UAEM) in Cuernavaca, was killed in Cuautla, a town 55 miles southeast of Morelos state capital.

Witnesses and videos showed a man with a black backpack, wearing a white shirt and shorts, fleeing the scene after the fatal stabbing attack. Despite the presence of an ambulance service nearby, it took more than half an hour for emergency responders to arrive at the scene, fueling accusations of a slow emergency medical response.

The Morelos Governor Margarita González Saravia has been appealing for information about the suspect's whereabouts, and the FGE has posted a wanted poster with the phrase: "If you recognize him, report him!" The inadequate emergency response has also sparked criticism of both municipal and state authorities, with residents expressing long-standing grievances about delayed responses and difficulties contacting emergency services.