Birthday Party and Drugs Considered in Investigation of Couple’s Murder in Nueva Monserrat

Authorities are investigating a shooting that left a man and a woman dead in the Nueva Monserrat neighbourhood, Zone 3 of Guatemala on the night of 13 January 2026. The Municipal Prosecutor’s Office of Mixco confirmed that a couple was killed by gunfire following an incident during a birthday celebration.

Preliminary findings indicate that the victims, a 42-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, were attending a birthday gathering with others inside a cevichería on Third Street and 14th Avenue when the group later moved outside. At around 10 p.m., a dispute broke out in the street, and an individual fired shots directly at the couple, fatally wounding them.

After the attack, the suspected shooter fled in a pickup truck accompanied by others who were also armed, according to investigators at the scene.

Police recovered ballistic evidence at the crime scene, as well as alcoholic beverage containers and gift bags, supporting the hypothesis that the shooting followed a social gathering. Among the belongings of one victim, authorities found items containing suspected cocaine.

The National Civil Police confirmed the identities of the victims as Derik Federico López, 41, and Katherin Esperanza Cajabón Quezada, 24. Cajabón Quezada was taken alive to a medical facility but later died.

Footage from nearby surveillance cameras captured the incident and is being reviewed as part of the investigation. Witnesses reportedly left the area after the shooting, and authorities are working to locate them and obtain statements that could help clarify the events and identify those responsible.