In a violent incident on a Chihuahua highway in Mexico, country music star Kevin Amalio Hernandez, 34, along with his wife, Marisela Sandoval, 34, and two of their children, were killed in an ambush attack. The attack occurred when their vehicles were struck by a barrage of gunfire on Sunday, May 5.
Hernandez and Sandoval were found dead following the attack, which involved over 150 bullets piercing their pickup truck. Hernandez’s body was located in a Chevrolet Malibu truck, heavily damaged by gunfire, while Sandoval was found near the passenger door of a 1979 Ford truck.
Sandoval’s 17-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter from a previous relationship succumbed to their injuries in the hospital the next day. The couple’s four-year-old son, along with his maternal grandmother, were also hospitalized due to injuries from the attack but are on the path to recovery.
This incident occurred as the family’s pickup trucks were moving in a convoy through the area, suddenly becoming targets of an ambush.
The incident took place against a backdrop of related acts of violence, such as a shooting at the residence of Sandoval’s parents and a foiled attempt to enter the hospital treating the injured family members.
Adding a somber note to the events, Hernandez’s latest song, “If God Takes Me with Him,” was released posthumously, its lyrics resonating eerily in the context of the incident: “If God takes me with him you should not feel afraid, I will be protecting you, I will follow your steps because this love is eternal.”
Hernandez, from El Paso, Texas, celebrated for his contributions to the Tejano (Tex-Mex style) country band H Nortena, had been touring the state of Chihuahua, performing live concerts that endeared him to many.
Expressions of sympathy and remembrance poured in from the Mexican music scene, signaling the community’s collective mourning. Band member, Luis Fernando Peinado reflected on the fragility of life and the impact of Hernandez’s last recording. In a statement he said: “Tomorrow this song will sound loud to the sky, the latest recording comes out tomorrow, life is fragile.”
The investigation has identified at least two suspects involved in the attack, and the authorities believe the motive may be linked to Marisela Sandoval’s family business, the Maturana Equestrian Center, which has had previous run-ins with cartel activity.
Chihuahua Southern District State Attorney General Juan Portillo spoke to the media after the slayings, with an update on potential suspects. “We have more or less identified what the people (who murdered the singer and his family) do and the cartel they could belong to,” Portillo said. “As a result of the investigations, we can assure that at least two people were involved in these events.”