On 23 March, 2020, environmental lawyer Isaac Medardo Herrera was shot dead in front of his house in Jiutepec, near the state capital of Morelos, Cuernavaca. The murderers knocked on the door, shot Isaac Medardo Herrera and fled the scene afterwards.

At the time of the murder, Isaac Medardo Herrera was working on an environmental protection case concerning an area of endangered woodland near Jiutepec. Herrera had been defending this tract for the previous four years against a proposed housing development as the area was supposed to be used as a nature reserve.

The state’s semi-tropical climate and abundant water, added to its close proximity to Mexico City, have made it the subject of heavy pressure from developers eager to build homes and vacation properties there.

Jesús Peña, the deputy representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mexico, condemned the killing of lawyer Herrera, and stated that “ people who defend the environment must receive the support of all of society and attacks against them, such as the murder of Mr. Herrera Avilés, must be investigated

The Mexican Center for Environmental Rights reported that 15 land defenders were killed in Mexico in 2019.