Guatemala, April 30, 2012. Court B of the First Instance for High-Risk Matters linked police officer Wilder Valdéz López and former officer Mártir García Hernández to proceedings on charges of alleged extrajudicial killing and criminal association. The pair are accused of forming part of a parallel structure—within the National Civil Police (PNC) and the Ministry of the Interior—that is involved with contract killings.

The initial appearance of García Hernández was held on April 25, and Judge Miguel Ángel Gálvez deemed there to be sufficient evidence to warrant trying him for the murder of Rosa del Carmen Coyoy Ixcot, Johny Sac Rojas and Lauro Osvaldo Andrino—all of whom are alleged extortionists. This is the second proceeding that the former police officer faces, because on June 17, 2011 he was sentenced along with Juan Carlos Rojas to 25 years in prison for the forced disappearance of Juan de Jesús García López, an alleged extortionist.

Last April 20, Valdéz López was linked to proceedings after voluntarily turning himself in to the aforementioned court, and Judge Gálvez ruled to remand him in custody on the above charges and for the murder of Johny Sac Rojas and Rosa del Carmen Coyoy Ixcot.

Charges confirmed
As part of the same case, Court B of the First Instance for High-Risk Matters confirmed, on April 27, 2012, that Police Captain Edwin Nathanael Chipix Noxt be remanded in custody and charged with criminal association, extrajudicial killing and accountability of public office bearers. Chipix Nox had requested that the charges be reviewed.

Judge Gálvez deemed that the original circumstances remained unchanged from the day of his arrest on March 26, 2012; therefore, he denied the request made by the Defense of Chipix Nox.

The following persons are also being tried in this case: Marlene Raquel Blanco Lapola, former Director of the PNC and former Vice Minister of Security, and former officers Lino Efrén García Castillo and Israel Cháves Cháves.

CICIG acts as a complementary prosecutor in this criminal proceeding.