Olivera, 27, owner and editor of the local newspaper El Día de Michoacán and a small local
news agency called ADN, was found dead near the city of
assailants shot Olivera three times with a .32-caliber gun and left the
reporter’s body inside his truck, a spokesman at the state prosecutor’s office
told CPJ.
Olivera had been last seen around 9 p.m. on July 5 as he was
leaving the paper’s office to cover a suicide attempt, according to a relative
who spoke to CPJ on condition of anonymity. Unidentified individuals ransacked
the paper’s offices early the morning of July 6, the Mexican news agency
Quadratín reported, taking computer hard drives and flash drives.
Olivera was also a correspondent for the Morelia-based
newspaper La Voz de Michoacán and a
stringer for Quadratín. He reported mainly on crime in Apatzingán and the
surrounding area, reporters at Quadratín and La Voz de Michoacán told CPJ.
In February, Olivera filed a complaint with the National
Human Rights Commission alleging he had been beaten by federal police, CPJ
research shows. The journalist had not reported threats before his death, a
family member and local reporters told CPJ.
Michoacán Gov. Leonel Godoy said evidence indicated that
Olivera’s killing had been carried out by organized crime groups, the Mexico
City-based daily La Jornada reported.
But state prosecutor Jesús Montejano Ramírez said his office considered robbery
to be the strongest motive, according to La
Jornada. He reported no specific leads or suspects.