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| - One of the murderers of Mexican journalist and AFP contributor Javier Valdez was sentenced Thursday to 32 years and three months in prison, prosecutors said. A judge handed down the sentence against Juan Francisco Picos Berrueta for his role as co-perpetrator and organizer of the May 2017 killing in the northern state of Sinaloa, the prosecutor's office said. Picos Berrueta, known as "El Quillo," was convicted last week and had faced up to 50 years in prison after he refused to plead guilty in exchange for a shorter term. Valdez, who was an AFP contributor for a decade and also a correspondent for La Jornada, was known for writing articles critical of powerful criminal gangs such as the Sinaloa drug cartel. Last year, one of Picos Berrueta's relatives, Heriberto Picos Barraza, was sentenced to 14 years and eight months in prison after confessing to involvement in the murder, which sparked international condemnation. Valdez, who was a co-founder of the Riodoce weekly newspaper and a prominent chronicler of Mexico's deadly drug war, was shot dead in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa. Mexico is one of the world's deadliest countries for reporters, with more than 100 journalists murdered since 2000. jg-dr/dw
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