Killing of María José Estupiñán Sànchez

María José Estupiñán
Born
María José Estupiñán Sánchez

2003
Cúcuta, Santander Department, Colombia
Died(2025-05-15)15 May 2025
(aged 22)
Cúcuta, Santander Department, Colombia
Cause of deathGunshot wound
Burial place16 May 2025
Regional Cemetery, Cúcuta[1]
Occupation(s)Influencer, model, entrepreneur, student
Years active2022–2025

María José Estupiñán Sánchez, simply known as María José Estupiñán or La Mona (2003 – 15 May 2025) was a Colombian[2] model, digital content creator, entrepreneur, and social media influencer. She became known thanks to her posts on social media, sharing self-care content, beauty products, lifestyle, fashion and beauty tips, owning also digital activities. She was shot and killed outside her home in Cúcuta, Colombia.

Her death has been covered internationally, with public debates and demonstrations raised to denounce her murder and the condition of women in Latin America. Colombian women, feminist associations and others accused the state of negligence and of being involved in Estupiñán's murder, of lack of protection towards her.[3][4]

Biography

Early life and career

Estupiñán was originally from Cúcuta, a Colombian city on the border with Venezuela, in Santander Department. She had an elder sister and her father, José, died before her.[1]

She completed her primary and secondary education at La Salle school and Santo Ángel de la Guardia school where she obtained her bachelor's degree.[5][6] Then, she studied social communication and journalism at Francisco de Paula Santander University, with the aim of becoming a television presenter, and was preparing to start her professional internship at Canal TRO, Colombian broadcaster.[7][8] She was active in representing the university by promoting its image and study programs through videos and presentations to get other students to enroll.[5][6]

She began to get noticed on social media thanks to her content about self-care, lifestyle, travels, beauty products, fashion, and empowerment.[9][10] She worked as a model for a Colombian agency and, as an entrepreneur, she owned three activities, selling products related to gymnastics, footwear and other items of clothing, actively promoting them on social media.[11][12][13] She had a large amount of followers on TikTok[14] and was nicknamed "La Mona" by them.[15][16]

Personal life

Estupiñán was in a relationship with a man until 2018, when she denounced him for abuse and domestic, psychological and verbal violence, and threats and intimidation which caused her anxiety attacks.[8][9][17]

On 14 May 2025, one day before she died, Estupiñán appeared in court to hear a sentence declaring her as victim and forcing her ex-partner to pay her 30 million pesos in compensation.[17][18]

Death

On 15 May 2025, aged 22, around 8 in the morning, Estupiñán was killed by an alleged delivery man who approached her, shot her in the face and chest several times on the porch of her house in El Bosque, a residential neighborhood of Cúcuta; then, he ran away.[19][20][21][22] Security cameras caught the moment of Estupiñán's killing, with her killer running away and Estupiñán's mother, present, desperately screaming after the shots at her daughter.[23][24][25]

The autopsy confirmed Estupiñán had died on the spot due to the gunshot wounds.[26][27][28]

Investigations and reactions

After her death, investigations into the alleged femicide were opened.[29][30] Her ex-boyfriend was put under investigation as a suspect[31][32][33][34] and minister Magda Victoria Acosta Walderos, president of the National Gender Commission of the Judiciary, condemned the crime and expressed her solidarity with Estupiñán's family.[35]

Estupiñán's death has generated outrage and concerns about the condition of women in Colombia,[36] and Human Rights Watch released a declaration.[37] Women and local feminist associations carried out demonstrations and paid tribute to Estupiñán. The state itself has been accused of negligence, failure to protect the deceased, being directly involved in her murder and inefficiency in ensuring Estupiñán's safety. Alejandra Vera, director of the organization "Mujer Denuncia y Muévete" (Woman, Speak Out and Move it), harshly criticized the state.[3][4] The case itself has been compared to the killing of Valeria Márquez for its mode of execution and for the victim's rise on social media.[38][39]

References

  1. ^ a b "Emotivo mensaje de hermana de influencer colombiana en el funeral". Soy 502 (in Spanish). 18 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  2. ^ "Colombian Social Media Influencer Killed Just Days After Similar Crime in Mexico". INKL.com. 19 May 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Murder of Colombian model sparks outrage over rising femicides". The Guardian. 19 May 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  4. ^ a b "El feminicidio de la 'influencer' María José Estupiñán en Cúcuta copia el 'modus operandi' del caso Valeria Márquez en Jalisco". El Pais (in Spanish). 21 May 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  5. ^ a b "La historia no contada de María José: la universitaria asesinada en Cúcuta". La Opinión (in Spanish). 16 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  6. ^ a b "¿Millonaria indemnización? Por esta razón mataron a María José Estupiñán". El Universal (in Spanish). 18 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  7. ^ "Colombian influencer 'La Mona' fatally shot outside home amid femicide crisis in Latin America". The Express Tribune. 19 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  8. ^ a b "La hipótesis que se maneja del asesinato de María José Estupiñán, en Cúcuta". El Espectador (in Spanish). 16 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Colombian model's murder, just days after Mexican influencer shot on live stream, sparks condemnation of femicide". CNN. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Falso entregador mata influencer a tiros na frente da mãe. Vídeo". Metropoles (in Portuguese). 21 May 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  11. ^ "Who Was Maria Jose Estupinan Sanchez? 22-Year-Old Colombian Social Media Influencer Shot Dead At Her Home In Cucuta". Free Press Journal. 19 May 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  12. ^ "El video del momento exacto del crimen de joven María José Estupiñán en Cúcuta: sicario simuló que entregaba regalo". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 15 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  13. ^ "Video: así mató un sicario a la universitaria María Estupiñán en su casa". El Universal (in Spanish). 15 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  14. ^ "Killing of a second Latin American influencer sparks criticism of authorities for failing to protect women". National Post. 23 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  15. ^ "Asesinaron a influencer en Colombia". El Litoral (in Spanish). 18 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  16. ^ "Influencer María José Estupiñán es asesinada a las afueras de su casa; el asesino pretendió ser un repartidor". Telediario (in Spanish). 16 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  17. ^ a b "María José Estupiñán, la joven asesinada en Cúcuta, había denunciado a su exnovio por violento". El Colombiano (in Spanish). 16 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  18. ^ "Conmoción en Colombia: asesinaron a quemarropa a la influencer María José Estupiñán". Notife (in Spanish). 19 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  19. ^ "Asesinan a estudiante de Comunicación Social en el porche de su casa en Cúcuta". La Opinión (in Spanish). 15 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  20. ^ "Who was Maria Jose Estupinan? Columbian influencer shot days after Valeria Márquez's murder". The Times of India. 23 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  21. ^ "Model, 22, dies after opening front door to what she thought was delivery man". Mirror. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  22. ^ "Quién era la influencer colombiana asesinada a tiros por un sujeto disfrazado de repartidor". La Tercera (in Spanish). 20 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  23. ^ "En video quedó el sicario que habría asesinado a María José Estupiñán durante su huida de la escena del crimen". Infobae (in Spanish). 15 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  24. ^ "Colombian Influencer María José Estupiñán Shot Dead Outside Her Home". Pakistan Point. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  25. ^ "Quem era influenciadora colombiana morta aos 22 anos durante 'falsa entrega' de encomenda". O Globo (in Portuguese). 21 May 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  26. ^ "Mataron a tiros a la periodista María José Estupiñán". A24.com (in Spanish). 21 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  27. ^ "Autoridades colombianas investigan el asesinato de la influencer María José Estupiñán". El Diario (in Spanish). 18 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  28. ^ "Colombian Influencer Shot Dead Outside Home by Man Posing as Deliveryman". The Daily Guardian. 19 May 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  29. ^ "La pista que sería clave para esclarecer crimen de María José Estupiñán en Cúcuta: exnovio, uno de los sospechosos". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 15 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  30. ^ "Los últimos momentos de María José Estupiñán, universitaria asesinada en Cúcuta: la joven estaba empacando para viajar". El Colombiano (in Spanish). 17 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  31. ^ "Colombian model María José Estupiñán shot dead outside home". Indian Times. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  32. ^ "María José Estupiñán influencer y modelo asesinada en Cúcuta". 2001Online.com (in Spanish). 15 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  33. ^ "Colombian model killed days after Mexican influencer shot dead on livestream". Global News. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  34. ^ "Now Colombian model shot dead after Mexican influencer: Is it another case of femicide?". First Post. 19 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  35. ^ "Asesinan a la influencer colombiana María José Estupiñán tras recibir supuesto regalo de un repartidor". La Propuesta Digital (in Spanish). 17 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  36. ^ "Murder of Colombian model sparks outrage over rising femicides". The Guardian. 19 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  37. ^ "Investigan como femicido la muerte de la influencer colombiana, María José Estupiñán". El Comercio (in Spanish). 20 May 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  38. ^ "Asesinan a María José, universitaria de 22 años, con engaño de un regalo". Foro Cuatro (in Spanish). 16 May 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  39. ^ "Nuevos detalles de lo que hizo María José Estupiñán antes de ser asesinada". Noticias Caracol (in Spanish). 17 May 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
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