Another member of the regional Mexican music community has been assassinated.
Concert promoter Marco Antonio Abdalá was found dead from three gunshot wounds on Jan. 25. Abdalá, who served as promoter for artists such as Banda El Recodo, was kidnapped Jan. 25. The same day, according to Mexico’s Special Anti Kidnapping Unit (UEA), his family paid $55,000 in ransom, but Abdalá’s body was found that same afternoon. Two men, Jesús Bernal and Luis Cesar Ramirez, were initially arrested. On Jan. 27, two more, Rubén Córdova and Salvador Martínez, were also arrested after members of UEA found them with Abdalá’s belongings and the ransom money.
The mayor of Mazatlán, Jorge Abel López, says Abdalá’s murder is unrelated to the wave of violence and murder that has hit the regional Meixcan music community in the past months. In December, several grupero artists were murdered, most notably Sergio Gómez, lead singer of chart-topping group K-Paz de la Sierra.
Following Abdalá’s murder, Banda El Recodo canceled its performance at the traditional “Lunes De Carnaval,” a festival in Mazatlán that was promoted by Abdalá and set to take place Feb. 4. The members of El Recodo said their cancelation was out of respect to Abdalá, their longtime friend and promoter.
