Manuel Martínez Coronado

Manuel Martínez Coronado (1964 or 1965 – 10 February 1998) was a Guatemalan mass murderer, convicted for the killing of seven people on 17 May 1995. Coronado was sentenced to death for the murders, and was executed in 1998, the first execution by lethal injection in Guatemala.[1]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Martínez and the second or maternal family name is Coronado.
Manuel Martínez Coronado
Coronado being escorted to the execution chamber at Pavon Prison
Born1964/1965
Guatemala
Died(1998-02-10)10 February 1998 (aged 33)
Pavon Prison, Fraijanes, Guatemala
Cause of deathExecution by lethal injection
OccupationFarmer
Criminal statusExecuted
SpouseManuela Giron
Children3
MotiveLand dispute
Conviction(s)Aggravated murder
Criminal penaltyDeath
Details
Victims7
Date17 May 1995
CountryGuatemala

Background

Manuel Martínez Coronado was a member of the Chortí ethnic group who worked as a peasant farmer.[2]

Murders

Coronado murdered seven members of the same family on 17 May 1995 over a land dispute. He was aided by his stepfather, Daniel Arias. The victims were Juan Bautista Arias, 58, his wife Rosalbina Miguel, their children Francias, 12, Jovita, 8, Arnoldo, 5, and Aníbal, 2, and his sister, Emilia Arias, 68.[3]

Arrest and execution

Coronado was arrested and charged with multiple counts of homicide. Following a brief trial, he became the first Guatemalan to be sentenced to death by means of lethal injection (which had recently been legalized by the government). Too old to be executed, Arias, who was in his mid 60s, was sentenced to 30 years in prison.[3] Amnesty International attempted to suggest that Arias had been the triggerman in the murders.[4]

Despite pleas from Amnesty International to overturn the verdict, the Guatemalan authorities ruled that his sentence would be upheld.[5] The execution took place at 6 a.m. (12:00 – GMT) on 10 February 1998, and was broadcast live as a national television event. It took eighteen minutes for him to die from the onset of drug administration; the sounds of his wife and children crying could be heard by the television audience throughout the ordeal.[2][6]

Coronado's mother claimed that he converted to Christianity on death row and had asked God for forgiveness.[7]

Criticism

Amnesty International, which had protested his death sentence, complained that doctors carrying out the execution was a "breach of medical ethics" and that Guatemalan authorities refused to release the identities of the healthcare workers who carried out the execution.[8][9]

See also
Other executions

References
  1. Zubieta, Celina (10 February 1998). "GUATEMALA: Prisoner Killed by Lethal Injection". Inter Press Service. Archived from the original on 30 April 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  2. "AI Index: AMR 34/23/00." Amnesty International. Retrieved on 3 March 2016.
  3. "Confirman pena de muerte a Manuel Martínez Coronado en 1996 – Prensa Libre" (in Spanish). 20 May 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  4. "Guatemala: Further executions loom". Amnesty International. 30 June 2000. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  5. Amnesty International- Document- Guatemala: Further information on Medical letter writing action: Lethal Injection
  6. "Guatemala: Further Information On Death Penalty: Manuel Martinez Coronado". www.amnesty.org. 10 February 1998. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  7. "GUATEMALA: FIRST EVER EXECUTION BY LETHAL INJECTION CARRIED OUT | AP Archive". www.aparchive.com. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  8. "Guatemala: Rapid Medical Action: Manuel Martinez Coronado". www.amnesty.org. 6 February 1998. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  9. "Guatemala: Further Information On Medical Letter Writing Action: Lethal Injection". www.amnesty.org. 12 May 1998. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
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