Brian Alexis Patron Lopez has been convicted of multiple charges, including intentional killing during drug trafficking, for the 2020 murder of an 18-year-old U.S. citizen in Mexico. The victim was kidnapped in Tijuana over a dispute regarding a stolen methamphetamine shipment. During the ransom negotiations, Lopez shot the victim, aiming to elevate his status within a drug trafficking organization. With sentencing scheduled for July, he faces a potential life sentence alongside others involved in the crime.
Patron took over (the) kidnapping and ultimately shot (the 18-year-old) to up his status in the drug trafficking organization, prosecutors said.
The day after the 18-year-old was abducted, even as his family attempted to pay his ransom, Patron fatally shot him in a remote area in Tijuana.
Prosecutors stated that the victim was killed as punishment for a dispute over a stolen load of methamphetamine that was supposed to have been smuggled into the United States.
San Diego FBI Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy described the hostage-taking and killing as ruthless, vicious, and violent.
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