In March of 1989, 21-year-old Mark Kilroy was murdered while on Spring Break with three of his friends from high school. However, it wasn’t just the discovery of Mark’s murder that shocked the whole world at large. Part one can be found here.
On April 9th, 1989, Serafín Hernández García, his uncle Elio, two cult members, David Serna Valdez and Sergio Martínez Salinas, and the ranch’s caretaker, Domingo Reyes Bustamante were all arrested at the Santa Elena ranch in Matamoros, Mexico. García confessed that he, and others, had participated in the abduction and murder of Mark Kilroy at the behest of Adolfo Constanzo, and Sara Aldrete, the leader of their cult.
Two days later, on April 11th, García and the four other suspects were led back to the ranch where, forced at gunpoint, they spent the afternoon digging up Mark’s grave. Along with fourteen others.
In total, fifteen bodies were exhumed from the ranch grounds. Mark was positively identified by his dental records in Brownsville, Texas. Many of the others were identified as rival drug dealers that Constanzo had ordered be taken care of. Of the fifteen bodies, only three were left unidentified.
Along with the bodies, Mexican police seized marijuana, cocaine, firearms, and vehicles from the ranch. They also found an iron pot which contained the remains of a human brain (Mark’s brain, as would be confessed later), a goat’s head, chicken feet, a turtle, herbs, a horseshoe, coins, and animal blood. They had found Constanzo’s nganga, which he used in multiple Palo Mayombe rituals.
The following day, on April 12th, 1989, a press conference was held where the four main suspects were allowed to answer questions from more than 250 international reporters. They were paraded about, on display for the entire world to dissect.
There, they proceeded to inform the public that Mark has been murdered by Adolfo Constanzo himself in a human sacrificial ritual that would give the group members immortal power, as well as the power of being free from apprehension from law enforcement. Something they still vehemently believed, while being in police custody.
García’s uncle Elio went on to tell the press and public that he was Constanzo’s official enforcer, and proceeded to display the membership scars he’d received for his rank on his shoulders, back, arms, and chest proudly. These marks were to determine whom in the group had the authority to perform human sacrifice.
On April 11th, Constanzo saw that his time was up. He, Aldrete, Martín Quintana Rodríguez, Omar Francisco Orea Ochoa, and Álvaro de León Valdés fled to Brownsville, then caught a flight from McAllen, Texas to Mexico City, Mexico, initiating an international manhunt.
Soon, rumours started flying that Constanzo had gone to Miami to see his mother, while others stated that he’d been seen in Chicago. Meanwhile, he was laying low in Mexico City.
In search for clues to their whereabouts, Mexican law enforcement raided the home of Sara Aldrete in Matamoros. There, they found an altar, and many religious images. Both Constanzo and Aldrete were indicted in McAllen, Texas, for aggravated kidnapping. They, along with eleven members of their organization, were also indicted for “importing marijuana, conspiracy to import marijuana, conspiracy to possess with the intent of distributing, and possession with the intent of distributing”.
Law enforcement also issued arrest warrants for the remaining organization members who had not been apprehended. While they continued to follow up on leads, they also continued their appeals to the public for information on the whereabouts of the missing cult members.
Law enforcement searched the Houston, Texas area, believing that Constanzo may have been hiding out there. While they didn’t find Constanzo, they did apprehend Serafín Hernández Rivera Sr. for importing marijuana, possession, and conspiracy. As law enforcement searched his house, they found various items leading them to believe he was an acquaintance of Constanzo’s, such as candles, and an altar. He was later sentenced to 18 months, and released in June of 1990.
On April 17th, law enforcement in Mexico City raided a property owned by Constanzo in Atizapán. There, they found piles of pornography, and a hidden room with an altar, but no signs that Constanzo had been to the property. They also found that Aldrete’s purse and some of her other belongings had been left behind. Mexican law enforcement believed that the items proved that Constanzo had murdered Aldrete. American law enforcement, however, were of the opinion that the items had been left as a red herring.
In examining the murders in Matamoros more closely, Mexico City law enforcement drew similarities to murders that had occurred in the city between 1987 and 1989. Through consultation with local witchcraft practitioners, police uncovered that Constanzo may have been hiding out in the area of Cuauhtémoc.
When police searched the area, they spotted a man at a supermarket who was trying to buy a large order of groceries with U.S. dollars. Law enforcement then followed the man back to an apartment on Río Sena. Upon further surveillance, police were able to positively identify the man as Álvaro de León Valdés, one of Constanzo’s devoted cult members. Constanzo was in the apartment, and he was holed up with a few members of his cult.
On May 6th, 1989, law enforcement surrounded the building, and raided the premises. Before the raid could proceed, a black vehicle pulled up in front of the building, distracting the officers on the scene. Constanzo noticed what was going on from the window, and proceeded to open fire on the officers who were still at ground level.
Constanzo began pacing, ranting, and raving. He began throwing coins and paper money out the window, and then shooting at anyone who went to pick it up. He also burned some money on the stove. After a 45 minute stand off with police, Constanzo ran out of ammunition. But he refused to be apprehended. He ordered De León to murder him and another member of the cult, Quintana Rodríguez.
Constanzo and Rodríguez were then killed by De León with a machine gun. When law enforcement got up the stairs and made it to the apartment, Aldrete ran from the room. She was screaming that Constanzo was dead.
De León easily confessed that Constanzo had been pacing the apartment, lamenting that “everything was lost”, and that “no one was going to have his money”. He confessed to being coerced through physical force at the hands of Constanzo to shoot him, and Rodríguez, as well as participating in the torture of Mark Kilroy. He continuously maintained that Constanzo had committed the murder himself.
Aldrete stated that she had been completely unaware of the murders, and maintained her innocence. She claimed that she’d only learned of the murders when the news broke internationally. She also claimed that she’d been held prisoner by Constanzo in Mexico City, and that she was not one of his followers, nor was she involved with the cult in any way, shape, or form.
In August of 1990, De León was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murders of Adolfo Constanzo and Quintana Rodríguez.
On May 3rd, 1994, Sara Aldrete was sentenced to 62 years in prison, while Serafín Hernández García, his uncle Elio, David Serna Valdez, Sergio Martínez Salinas, and Serna Valdez each received 67 years. The charges were as follows: multiple homicide, possession of narcotics, involvement in organized crime, police impersonation, illegal body desecration, illegal possession of firearms, and illegal possession of weapons exclusive to the Mexican Armed Forces. Aldrete received fewer years, as she was not charged for illegal possession of weapons exclusive to the Mexican Armed Forces.
On March 27th, 1998, the sentences of Elio, Serna Valdez, and Martínez Salinas were reduced by 17 years, lowering their sentences from 67 total years to 50. As life sentences and the death penalty are not a part of Mexico’s judicial system, it is often common practice for charges that are over 50 years to be reduced.
Sara Aldrete continues to maintain her innocence in the entire tragedy.
Mark’s parents, Jim and Helen Kilroy, established the Mark Kilroy Foundation. The Foundation promotes drug awareness, education, and prevention through the Just Say No campaign. They firmly believed that the root cause of their son’s murder wasn’t the ritualistic ambitions of a cult, but rather the greed of a drug dealer and his criminal organization.
Since 1994, has worked side by side with Substance Abuse Free Environment (SAFE) to continue to promote drug prevention and substance abuse awareness in schools.
Jim and Helen are also vocal about safety when travelling, especially when travelling for Spring Break.
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Sources:
Inside The Gruesome Murder of Mark Kilroy At The Hands Of A Satanic Cult – Marco Margaritoff & John Kuroski – All That’s Interesting
The Work of the Devil – Gary Cartwright – Texas Monthly
Spring break gone wrong: Behind the strange ritual murder of Mark Kilroy – Bethany Wade – Film Daily
Casefile: A True Crime Podcast – Case 123: Mark Kilroy
Murder of Mark Kilroy Wikipedia page