Discovery en Español offers ¿Lone Assassin or Conspiracy?

The assassination of the leading contender for the Presidency from Mexico’s reigning political party, the PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional), Luis Donaldo Colosio, marks one of the most pivotal moments in Mexico’s recent political history. Now 15 years later, the case is still shrouded in mystery. Discovery en Español’s original presentation of El Caso Colosio premiering on Sunday, December 13 at 9 PM E/P, takes on each and every aspect of this tragic event, extensively looking at the theories and dissecting the evidence via powerful testimonials and recreations.

On March 23rd, 1994, Luis Donaldo Colosio falls to the ground a victim of two deadly gun shots amidst a crowded election rally in Tijuana, Mexico. A lone camera captures the mortal shot to the head, but the same video fails to capture the identity of the assailant. Amidst the confusion and panicked crowds, Mario Aburto Martinez, a laborer from a local factory, is arrested and pronounced guilty. Mexico’s Attorney General declares the case closed shortly thereafter, but many remain skeptical! How is it that a lone laborer was able to shoot the candidate at close range while surrounded by personal security, police and thousands of associates? The inconsistency of the evidence presented by the authorities and the detailed analysis of the video conducted by key media outlets do nothing more than heighten suspicions.

Many contend that the man that the police arrested at the scene does not resemble the one that appears one day later at a press conference. Others ask how it’s possible to be shot twice, once to the head and then abdomen on the opposite side, with bullet holes of different sizes and seemingly produced by different caliber weapons. Does this mean that there was more than one assassin involved? Was the crime part of a bigger political conspiracy?

Filmed over a seven month period, this one hour documentary dissects the different theories of the investigation via insightful interviews, dramatizations and CGI. The program contains detailed testimonials from journalists, political analysts, and local political representatives. Among the key figures that appear are: Antonio Cano, former President of the PRI in Tijuana, Jesús Zambrano, member of the Congressional Investigative Commission, Othon Cortés, suspect originally implicated in the crime, and Miguel Montes, the special prosecutor who gained notoriety by confirming the lone shooter assertion. With meticulous attention to detail this insightful documentary delves into each and every existent theory with the intention of offering viewers the facts allowing them to come to their own conclusion.

El Caso Colosio is a production of Discovery en Español under the direction of Michela Giorelli, Director of Production and Irune Ariztoy, Producer, with the support of Tomlinson-de Onis Productions under the Direction of Alan Tomlinson.