IT TOOK 10 YEARS TO SOLVE MACHO'S MURDER

Who killed Héctor 'Macho' Camacho? Boxer finally gets justice in decade-old murder

Five persons were charged in the 2012 killing of Puerto Rico's boxing icon Héctor Camacho, putting an end to the ten-year mystery of who killed him

 

By Tuhin Chakraborty 

 

meaww

March 10, 2022

 

 

Hector Camacho throws a right hook at his opponent

 

Five persons were charged in the 2012 killing of Puerto Rico's boxing icon Héctor "Macho" Camacho, putting an end to the ten-year mystery of who killed him as the case is getting closer to being solved. Prosecutors have not yet explained why the three-time world champion was gunned down outside the Azuquita pub in the island capital of Bayamón while seated in a Ford Mustang. Police apprehended one suspect in a pre-dawn raid in Bayamón on Wednesday, March 9, as part of ‘Operation Knockout’ and flew in three more suspects from Florida, where they were serving federal terms for unrelated offenses. The fifth suspect is presently imprisoned in Puerto Rico, while the sixth and seventh suspects were murdered in separate incidents.

Janet Parra, the prosecutor in charge of the justice department's section of organized crime and drugs, refused to say what information the seven men have or why they allegedly shot the retired boxer. Camacho, a previous world champion in three weight classes, was shot in the face while riding in a Ford Mustang with a companion. The boxer did not die from his injuries right away, but medics ruled him brain dead. Hector died on November 24, 2012, after many days on life support.

The murder stunned the boxing world, and the tragedy was made worse by the fact that the crime stayed unresolved for so long. Camacho, who was 50 at the time of his death, fought some of the best boxers in the world throughout his illustrious career, including victories over 'Sugar' Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

According to the Associated Press, Camacho's elderly mother was overjoyed at the news of the arrests, as it provided a measure of justice for her late son. Camacho's mother entered the Department of Justice of Puerto Rico, where the aforementioned subjects were charged, and remarked, "Justice! Justice has been done!". Later on, she said, "Justice was done, I can sleep in peace. I can eat and drink a cup of coffee in the morning."

William Rodriguez Rodriguez, Luis Ayala Garcia, Joshua Méndez Romero, Jess Naranjo Adorno, and Juan Figueroa Rivera are the suspected murderers. Camacho’s colleague Victor Callejas told AP, “he was not the type of person who sought enemies. On the contrary, he was always looking to make people laugh in one way or another. He was a unique character.”