Hurtado, 39, was commuting to his job as night cameraman for Canal 33’s “Teleprensa” news program at around 7 p.m. when two men boarded the San Salvador-bound bus and shot him multiple times in the chest and head before fleeing into a neighborhood known for gang activity.
On May 31, 2012, a Salvadoran court found Jonathan Alexander Martínez Castro guilty in Hurtado’s murder and sentenced him to 30 years in prison. Authorities also charged Marlon Stanley Abrego Rivas, who is currently a fugitive, for the crime, according to news reports.
Authorities reported that the men, who are members of the violent Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, targeted Hurtado because they believed he had identified another MS-13 gang member to the police as the perpetrator of a murder. News accounts reported that the gang members suspected the journalist because they knew he covered police operations against local gangs for Canal 33.