U.S. teen hitman in Mexico goes on trial

A 15-year-old U.S. citizen suspected of being a drug gang hitman went on trial on Monday (July 18) on charges including murder, kidnapping, drug dealing and weapons possession.Edgar Jimenez, known as "El Ponchis," worked for the South Pacific drug cartel in Morelos state, outside Mexico City. Mexican soldiers captured Jimenez last December 3 as he attempted to travel to the United States. He was 14 at the time of his arrest and turned 15 in May.

"El Ponchis" made headlines last year as reports of his grisly murders, including beheadings, surfaced. He acknowledged having killed four people under the influence of drugs provided by a cartel leader in a criminal life that started when he was just 11, according to an army statement.

If convicted, Jimenez would face only three years in prison because of his status as a minor. He would also be fined, the amount being set by a judge. As a U.S. citizen, he would be allowed to move north of the border following his prison time.

Jimenez's sentence would be set by a juvenile judge in the city of Cuernavaca in Morelos after an oral trial. Some 60 witnesses are expected to take part in the trial. Only Jimenez's relatives and those of the victims will be allowed in court as the hearings, expected to last for two weeks, will be closed to the media and the general public.

"The teenager in question is accused by the specialized prosecutors office of crimes against health such as transportation of cocaine and marijuana, weapons possession used exclusively by the army and air force and the violation of the law against organized crime with the intention to commit murders and kidnappings. A good number of legal experts and witnesses will take part in the trial, some 60 and the hearing will last between one to two weeks, we can't know for sure," said the spokesperson of the juvenile court, Juan Carlos Castro.

The boy was caught last year as he boarded a plane. He was travelling to the border city of Tijuana across from San Diego, California, with two of his sisters, one of whom was believed to be the lover of one of the cartel's bosses, the army said.

The three Jimenez siblings reportedly had wanted to cross to San Diego, where they have relatives.

Speaking about the murders, Jimenez told the media: "I killed four. I beheaded them. I felt bad doing it. I was forced to do it. They said they would kill me if I didn't do it."

Hanging the bodies in busy city intersections is a common practice among drug cartels hoping intimidate rivals. Newspaper El Universal said Jimenez was paid $2,500 (1,600 pounds) for each murder he committed.

Murders committed by minors, ranging from shoplifting to murder for the cartels, rose across Mexico last year, state officials say.

Parents in the violent cities of Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana on the U.S. border say children as young as 8 want to grow up to be drug lords, as the thrills and wealth of the trafficking world touches their lives.