Former Juarez Hit Man Tells His Story In NMSU Researcher’s Documentary
After 20 years serving drug lords in a Juarez cartel, a former hit man shared his story with a team of filmmakers.
Molly Molloy, an author and researcher at New Mexico State University, worked as the interpreter for “El Sicario: Room 164.”
The documentary was shot in 2009 at an unidentified Borderland motel room where the hooded subject, aka El Sicario, says he used to torture victims.
El Sicario quit the cartel a few years ago after finding religion. Molloy said the film is not an attempt to “make excuses” for his years serving the cartels.
“The sicario is not proud of what he’s done. The only way he feels he can make amends for some of the things he did is to tell his story,” Molloy said.
The man goes into detail about his childhood in Juarez, including how he got recruited to serve the cartels.
“He used his connections within the cartel to join the police academy because, as he explains in the film, the police academy is where many of the cartel operatives are trained,” said Molloy.
The documentary came about after Italian filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi read a magazine article by Charles Bowden on “El Sicario.”
Bowden and Molloy collaborated on a book based on the documentary called “El Sicario: The Autobiography of a Mexican Assassin.”
The film has been shown at festivals around the world. It’s being distributed by Icarus Films in the U.S.
“The film had a wonderful opening in New York City. Audiences were riveted and terrified, and we look forward to bringing the film to your area,” said Livia Bloom, director of exhibition and broadcast for Icarus Films.
Bloom said Icarus Films is in talks with local movie theaters to try to coordinate screenings. She said anyone interested in screening the film should contact the company at IcarusFilms.com.
“There are tens of thousands of people that are refugees from the violence in Mexico, especially in Juarez, who are now living in El Paso or Las Cruces,” Molloy said. “It’s an important story, I think, for people here.”
