**Defender, Judge, and Prosecution Collaborate to Undermine Accused in Paola Case**
With scarce circumstantial evidence lacking substance, the Public Prosecutor’s Office presented initial charges against Sergio Daniel, the sole accused in the murder of 23-year-old Paola Andrea Bañuelos Flores, who was murdered after leaving the bar La Consentida in Mexicali’s nightclub district.
On the afternoon of Saturday, July 13, the indictment hearing for charges of femicide and forced disappearance against Sergio Daniel took place. He is accused of allegedly taking the life of Paola Andrea. The event highlighted the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s incompetence in building a solid case, a judge swayed by gender stereotypes, and a defender who did little to protect the accused.
The prosecution’s evidence included the route taken by the Didi vehicle Paola boarded. The journey started in the nightclub zone, moved to the Independencia neighborhood, referenced her home’s vicinity, and eventually pointed eastward towards Manuel Gómez MorÃn, stopping for over an hour on Eucalipto Street—a region known for both vacant lots and private residential areas in Mexicali’s Zona Dorada. Despite being a heavily monitored area, no surveillance footage from these zones was presented by the prosecution, a fact that has been widely criticized.
The vehicle then headed towards Novena Street and finally towards Islas Agrarias, where it remained for nearly an hour before proceeding to a house in the Valle de Puebla area.
Thanks to efforts by Paola’s brother, the authorities located her broken cellphone on Manuel Gómez MorÃn Street. It was in the possession of a homeless person, according to the prosecution’s account.
Additional evidence included the discovery of Paola Andrea’s remains near Ejido Islas Agrarias A. This discovery was again facilitated by her family’s efforts and supported by ministerial agents responding to their call.
The forensic report confirmed that Paola was a victim of sexual assault and died from asphyxiation by strangulation, along with having other injuries and scratches on various parts of her body.
A witness, whose identity has been protected for safety reasons, testified that a Didi driver matching Sergio Daniel’s description had previously harassed her. According to her account, the driver made her uncomfortable with personal questions during the ride and attempted to force her to give him her phone number or Facebook contact upon arrival at her home. Ignoring his subsequent calls and messages, she decided to come forward after learning about Paola’s case.
The prosecution did not provide surveillance footage or DNA evidence to support these claims, nor did they present testimonies from Paola’s friends who might have seen her board the Didi vehicle and identified the driver. The only described characteristics related to the car itself.
Judge Salvador Avelar questioned the public defender, César Eduardo Carrasco Soberanes, about whether he wanted to present any statement or request additional time to gather evidence against the indictment. Defending attorneys typically request the 144-hour period to compile evidence, but Carrasco advised against it, suggesting instead immediate indictment and requesting a case evaluation according to the law. This denied Sergio Daniel additional time to contest the accusations.
In his ruling, Judge Avelar confirmed both charges of forced disappearance and femicide. His judgment was marred with gender stereotypes, suggesting that women should be treated with affection and respect and not aggression, emotional statements implying the sanctity of women because “we all come from a woman.”
After a rather emotional pause to collect himself, Judge Avelar told the accused to reflect on his situation, pointing out that, unlike Paola, he was still alive. The judge then ordered Sergio Daniel to be indicted and detained for six months, after which his judicial process would begin.