December 4th, 2010
10:46 PM ET

Accused teen hit man in Mexico admits to killings

Authorities detained a 14-year-old boy on Thursday evening on suspicion of working as a drug-cartel hit man, a spokeswoman for the Mexican attorney general's office said.

While being taken into custody along with his sister, he answered questions from journalists. Here is a transcript of the news conference. Repeated questions have been omitted: (Read the full CNN.com story)

Question: How many people have you executed, friend?

Boy: Four

Question: How old are you?

Boy: 14

Question: Where were you detained?

Boy: There at the airport (someone off cam says: at the airport)

Question: Where were you going?

Boy: To San Diego

Question: Who were you going with?

Boy: With my sister.

Question: At what age did you start killing?

Boy: When I was 11.

Question: Are you the one that is in the video beating a person that is hung in a house?

Boy: Yes

Question: Who gave you the orders to hit them, to execute them?

Boy: 'El Negro'

Question: Where did you learn to execute, to beat?

Boy: ...(inaudible) I got high (NOTE: someone is telling him something off cam)

Question: Did you get drugged?

Boy: 'El Negro' drugged me.

Question: 'El Negro' drugged you?

Question: Since when did 'El Negro' drug you?

Boy: Since I was 12.

Question: You belong to the gang since you were 12?

Boy: Yes.

Question: And you are from the CPS?

Boy: Yes.

Question: How many weapons did you have?

Boy: About 6

Question: What types of weapons did you have?

Boy: 'Cuerno de chivo', 45,

Question: How did you join the gang?

Boy: In the (inaudible)

Question: Did they pick you up?

Question: Who picked you up?

Boy: 'El Negro'

Question: And he convinced you or he made you join this?

Boy: He made me.

Question: What did he tell you?

Boy: That I either work or he'll kill me.

Question: That you work in the 'mota' (pot)?

Boy: No, that either I work or he killed me.

Question: He was going to kill you? You don' t have parents?

Boy: No

Question: You don't have parents? You lived alone?(off camera answer no audio)

Question: Where did you live?

Boy: In Tejalpa.

Question: Tejalpa, at what age did you start to sell pot?

Boy: I never sold pot.

Question: So he took you to do what? What did you do exactly? What did you do before joined the gang?

Boy: (Inaudible)

Question: No, before joining the gang, what did you do?

Boy: I studied.

Question: Where did you study?

Boy: In the Lopez Mateo.

Question: There in the High School of the Laguna?

Boy: Yes

Question: Until what grade?

Boy: 3rd (of high school)

Question: 3rd of high school? And why did you leave?

Boy: I didn't want to study anymore.

Question: You didn't want to or your parents couldn't anymore?

Boy: I didn't want to anymore.

Question: Why didn't you want to anymore?

Boy: I didn't want to anymore, I didn't like it.

Question: Who is your maximum idol?

Boy: (makes noise, no answer)

Question: And what did 'Radilla' tell you to convince you to kill?

Boy: He would just drug me. I didn't know what I was doing?

Question: Did he drug you with pot or cocaine?

Boy: With pot.

Question: Who taught you how to use drugs?

Boy: Him

Question: Where did you meet him?

Boy: Here in Tegalpa

Question: How?

Boy: He came over and I met him

Question: Who hid you lately? Did you hide, yourself, or did they help you?

Boy: I hid.

Question: You hid. Are you afraid?

Boy: No

Question: You're not afraid?

Boy: (He shakes his head, no)

Question: Do you know what's going to happen?

Boy: Yes.

Question: Do you know that they're going to take you and judge you on federal crimes?

Boy: Mmm-hmmm

Question: Are you aware of that?

Boy: (nods in agreement)

Question: Your mom, your dad where are they?

Boy: I don't have.

Question: You don't have a mom or a dad?

Boy: (shakes head)

Question: Are they dead or are they dead to you?

Boy: No, they're dead

Boy: They're dead?

Question: Brothers?

Boy: Six

Question: Six brothers, but you're the only one involved in this?

Boy: mm-hmmm

Question: How many have you killed?

Boy: Four

Question: How did you execute them?

Boy: I slit their throats

Question: Those were also intructions from 'El Negro'? He told you to do it, or you did it on your own?

Boy: No, that's what 'El Negro' told me.

Question: Is it true that they defended you so that you wouldn't be executed?

Boy: U-huh

Question: How?

Boy: I was just taken to a house and that's it.

Question: But how? There were going to kill you there?

Boy: Yes, then they didn't want to kill me.

Question: Who defended you?

Boy: Ladilla

Boy: Ladilla defended you?

Boy: (nods)

Question: Who was going to kill you then?

Boy: His people.

Question: But why was he going to kill you?

Boy: Well I don't know, just cause ...

Question: You had your group of friends in Tejalpa?

Boy: No

Question: So they just saw you and took you in.

Boy: Yes

Question: So they pick up many kids there?

Boy: No

Question: Only you?

Boy: (nods)

Question: How many other kids are in this gang that are under 18?

Boy: Not one, all are 20

Question: None, you are the only minor?

Boy: Yes

Question: Where were you born?

Boy: San Diego, California

Question: You are from the U..S then?

Boy: Yes

Question: Your birth certificate is from the United States?

Boy: (nods)

Question: How much did they pay you?

Boy: 2,500

Question: Weekly?

Boy: Yes

Question: Dollars or pesos?

Boy: Dollars and pesos

Question: Who paid you?

Boy: Ladilla

Question: Do you want to say anything else to the press? Talk to your parents via the press?

Boy: Nah, it's fine

Question: It seems like you're dissappointed with life.

Boy: No

Question: Do you like being in this?

Boy: No

Question: So then why did you get in?

Boy: I didn't get in, they took me.

Question: Do you regret it, are you sorry?

Boy: Yes

Question: What are you most sorry for?

Boy: Why did I get into this.

Question: And for killing?

Question: Are you sorry for killing?

Boy: (nods)

Question: So you participated in the killings, it wasn't you, you were drugged?

Boy: Yes

Question: In most of the cases?

Boy: Yes

Question: You were always drugged? You didn't know what you were doing?

Boy: No, I didn't know

Question: You could go free because your 14, what would you do if you go free?

Boy: Go on the right path

Question: Are you sure?

Boy: Work right

Question: And what would you do?

Boy: Anything, except that.

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Filed under: Drug violence • Drugs • Mexico
soundoff (214 Responses)
  1. Zach

    Forget the drugs, it was kill or be killed. As a soldier I can understand that. He is still young and he can be made into a proper citizen. Don't forget that kids, in a desperate situation, will act differently then us adults. Also, don't forget that as kids, we are taught stealing is bad, yet most people as kids try it once. Don't put race into it either, ALL countries have problems like this.

    December 5, 2010 at 11:13 am | Report abuse |
    • PaulaJ

      Zach you are 100% correct. We see this with Muslim terrorists, children during the Vietnam war, in guerilla warfare and in local gangs. Children want to be accepted and most thugs are kind to them at first and make them feel like adults. They give them guns,money, etc Regardless,I believe this teen can be rehabilitated too.

      December 5, 2010 at 11:50 am | Report abuse |
  2. neesha

    How did talkin about a 14 yr old murderer become a topic of racism???

    December 5, 2010 at 12:33 pm | Report abuse |
  3. daveaxe

    If CNN needs a proofreader they should shoot me an email at my website. I know the difference between "your" and "you're," I don't end statements with question marks, and I actually read my stuff after I spell check it, so common mistypings don't get through (like typing "there" instead of "they").

    December 5, 2010 at 2:47 pm | Report abuse |
  4. WooooW

    I don't smoke weed to 'look cool' I smoke to get high and Im usually productive while elevated...Mary Jane is a gift from the heavens...crack,coke,PCP,all man made drugs should be outlawed but not Mary. LEGALIZE IT an im sure the cartels would be forced to shut down...as for this story its sad and kinda sounds like a 1/2 truth..idk..

    December 5, 2010 at 3:18 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Ricardo M.

    This is phony. Mexican police do not allow journalists to interview prisoners like this. Even just reading this you can tell it's made up.

    December 5, 2010 at 3:38 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Ricardo M.

    At Woooow. You are usually productive when you are high on THC? So when you are stoned and driving, you usually don't get in an accident? There is work in mexico for a man with your talents.

    December 5, 2010 at 3:43 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Free the Leaf

    the face of prohibition

    http://www.facebook.com/free.the.leaf
    cannabis=industry.medicine.peace.

    December 5, 2010 at 5:08 pm | Report abuse |
  8. RUFFNUTT

    pot can be dangerous... i smoked so much weed one day i got food green-coloring and dyed my hair and tounge green and thought i was the incredable hulk.

    December 5, 2010 at 5:36 pm | Report abuse |
    • funny

      That is true. I saw it happen to a friend!

      December 14, 2010 at 8:44 am | Report abuse |
  9. Cesar

    America the beautiful. Our SWAT and FBI will kick the drug and traffic dealers' butt anytime.

    December 5, 2010 at 6:30 pm | Report abuse |
  10. WoooW

    @Ricardo M Im glad you asked that qiestion. First, I never said I operate heavy machinery while elevated I said I am productive. I accomplish more and PRODUCE my best work in the areas of school,work and home. Secondly, I'm a woman with no interest in traveling to Mexico.

    December 5, 2010 at 10:41 pm | Report abuse |
  11. WoooW

    *question ( damn this tiny keybord :-p )

    December 5, 2010 at 10:43 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Mr. Davidson

    A drugged society is easy to manage ,it allows for much government corruption and theft of the treasury.anyway ,how many innocent civilians did they US military kill in Iraq ,and now in Afganistan,many more than the few thousand in Mexico its really no big deal.Its a propaganda sham to shift the blame ,on the medias part ,somewhere else than here.

    December 6, 2010 at 1:09 am | Report abuse |
  13. Tammt

    The mexican police have to cover thier faces or the drug cartel will kill them. In Mexico when they arrest somebody they always parade them in front of the tv no matter what there age is. Unfortunatly for this teen he wont live very long in the mexican prison system. Think about it, he sayed who he was working for on tv. The cartel has most likely already pt a hit on him.Now thanks to the mexican goverment this child has no where to hide.

    December 6, 2010 at 9:39 am | Report abuse |
  14. smilebhappy

    So why isn't this kid dead. 1 bullet, 1 second, low cost, feed him to that Egyptian shark.

    December 7, 2010 at 4:41 pm | Report abuse |
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