Mexican authorities have named the ex-boyfriend of slain TikTok influencer Valeria Márquez as the instigator of her murder, saying he asked his father, a cartel boss known as “El R1,” to order the killing after their relationship ended.
The disclosure came at an official press conference led by President Claudia Sheinbaum. Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said the former partner had threatened Márquez on multiple occasions and that all evidence pointed to him asking his father to carry out the femicide.
Ramón Álvarez Ayala, alias “El R1,” is identified by authorities as the leader of a cell of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel, known as the CJNG. He was arrested on July 30, 2026, in connection with the separate murder of Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo, but is also linked as the intellectual author of the attack on Márquez.
Killing broadcast live on TikTok
Márquez was shot dead on May 14, 2025, while streaming live on TikTok from her hair salon in Zapopan, Jalisco. A gunman entered the premises posing as a delivery worker and fired multiple times. An employee named Érika cut the stream, leaving hundreds of viewers in shock.
Two people connected to the scene, Érika and Vivian de la Torre, Márquez’s closest friend who had encouraged her to stay on the live stream after sending a gift to the salon, were formally investigated for possible involvement. Both were subsequently cleared of suspicion.
More than a year after the killing, “El R1” is in custody and faces proceedings in multiple homicide cases. His son, identified as the instigator of the femicide, remains at large and is considered a key figure in establishing the chain of command behind the murder. The Jalisco state prosecutor’s office is continuing the investigation under a femicide protocol and has intensified the search for the fugitive.
