Recorded murder: money against justice in Guatemala

Recorded murder: money against justice in Guatemala: The homicide of Melissa Palacios Chacón On July 4, 2021, Melissa sent an audio message to a friend: "I'll be late, a tire punctured." It was her last voice transmission. Hours later, her body was found in a remote village with her face disfigured by rock blows. Security cameras recorded who picked her up that noon. The audios captured what happened. However, four years later, her killer remains in preventive detention without trial, live-streaming from prison that she will be free. In this episode, we explore how a murder documented by video, audio, and recovered text messages was downgraded from homicide to violent emotion by a judge who then recused himself from the case. We analyze the chained recusals that have suspended hearings one after another, the live streams from prison, and the question that haunts the family: can money and political connections buy impunity even when there is irrefutable forensic evidence and exposed criminal minds? Victim: Melissa Palacios Chacón Date: July 4, 2021 Location: Río Hondo, Zacapa, Guatemala Status: Preventive detention without trial (four years) - Cameras recorded the suspect picking up Melissa at noon and traveling three hours to where her body was found. - A forensic audio captured the victim pleading as they demanded her cell phone password, followed by blows that silenced her voice forever. - The judge who downgraded the charge from murder to homicide was recused; five subsequent judges have also been recused or removed, indefinitely delaying the trial. - The accused live-streamed from prison in January 2022 declaring that she would be free soon, suggesting access to a cell phone and possible manipulation of judicial processes. Melissa Palacios Chacón, Río Hondo Zacapa murder 2021, investigation, judicial corruption, security cameras, forensic audio, mystery, pending justice, intrigue, true crime Spanish If you want to listen to this podcast without ads and have access to premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written authorization from OBOMEDIA. For permissions, licenses, and business inquiries, write to: [email protected] listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.comOBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie