TikTok star shot three times during live stream

Valeria Márquez, a 23-year-old Mexican influencer, was killed in a femicide in Zapopan, Jalisco, while doing a live broadcast on TikTok.

The events happened at approximately 18:30 hours on Tuesday, May 13 at the Blossom The Beauty Lounge hair salon, which is said to be owned by her, located on Servidor Público Avenue in Colonia Real del Carmen.

The young model was in the premises when a man entered and, according to the initial reports of the State Prosecutor's Office, apparently fired in her direction.

The prominent TikTok figure appeared to be chatting with a delivery driver who was not visible on the live stream, on Tuesday, when she was hit by a gunshot to the chest, another to the abdomen and the last one to the head, falling and passing away instantly. The influencer was at a beauty salon in the municipality of Zapopan, near the state capital of Guadalajara, when the incident happened.

Municipal Police officers arrived at the scene after receiving the notice of shots fired and confirmed her death.

Who was Valeria Márquez?

Valeria Márquez was a model from Mexico who in 2021 began to be recognized after winning the Miss Face beauty pageant, which marked the beginning of her career on social platforms. She was a healthy woman, she trained assiduously, did not smoke or consume harmful substances.

Soon, she started generating content on social networks, where she offered makeup tips, shared her personal care routine, talked about fashion trends and also showed the trips she made.

Pictures of her on private planes or on yachts can be found on her Instagram profile, which had more than 223,000 followers when she passed away. In addition, Marquez accumulated another 100,000 followers on TikTok.

The gorgeous model also managed the beauty salon where she lost her life, which was located in a shopping center in the Real del Carmen neighborhood of Zapopan, as reported by local media.

Hypothesis

The femicide of Valeria Marquez has aroused three main suspicions: she could have been murdered by her ex-boyfriend, she could have been murdered on the orders of an envious friend who wanted to be like her or her death had to do with drug trafficking, a scourge that Mexico suffers, among other countries. None of the three conjectures is confirmed as the cause of the influencer's femicide, but all three hypotheses are being studied.

According to the guidelines for investigating femicides, the State Prosecutor's Office is performing investigative actions to comprehend the death of a 23-year-old woman, which was reported today in western Zapopan. To clarify what happened and find out who is responsible, a Public Ministry agent is collaborating with Investigation Police personnel at the location, collecting information and evidence to be included in the relevant investigative file.

Finally, the prosecutor's office stated that experts from the Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences are handling the scene, documenting and gathering evidence. Staff from the Forensic Medical Service will move the body to their facilities for an autopsy, and relatives are anticipated to provide formal identification.

A pathological crime

One of the most important aspects of this femicide is that Valeria Márquez was killed during a live broadcast for the TikTok platform. This reveals a deep morbidity on the part of the femicide, who wants everyone to see what he has done.

The phenomenon of murderers committing acts of violence in public, especially in front of cameras, raises complex psychological and sociological questions. Such incidents not only shock the public but also reveal deeper issues regarding the motivations and mental states of the perpetrators.

Public mass murders, while rare, are often characterized by a "final act mindset," where the perpetrator may be driven by a desire for notoriety or a wish to make a statement. This mindset can be influenced by various psychological factors, including a death wish or a desire for recognition, which may lead individuals to commit heinous acts in highly visible settings. The presence of cameras can amplify this desire, as the act becomes a spectacle, drawing attention and potentially glorifying the violence.

The media's role in these events cannot be understated. The visibility provided by television cameras can embolden some individuals, making them feel invincible or detached from the consequences of their actions. For instance, in the case of the murder of Harry Collinson, the perpetrator shot him during a confrontation that was being filmed, suggesting that the presence of cameras may have influenced his decision to act violently in such a public manner. This phenomenon raises ethical questions about media coverage of violent events and its potential to incite further violence.