Zayda Peña

Zayda Peña Arjona (circa 1979 – December 1 2007) was the lead singer for the Mexican band Zayda y los Culpables (Zayda and the Guilty Ones) until she was shot dead. The group sang romantic ballads about love and loss. The song "Tiro de Gracia" (Coup de Grâce), describing a failed relationship, was one of the most popular songs from the band.

Shortly before midnight on November 29 2007, an unknown gunman shot Peña in the back at Mónaco Motel in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, across the U.S.-Mexico border from Brownsville, Texas. Two other people — a friend of Peña and a motel employee — died from gunshots. Paramedics took her to Alfredo Pumarejo Hospital in Matamoros, where doctors determined that her injuries were not fatal.

The next day, several assailants entered the hospital, roaming the corridors. Doctors placed Peña in emergency surgery to remove the bullet. The assailants shot her again to ensure her death. The Independent and Reuters stated that the fatal bullet hit her face. She was 28 years old.

Her mother, Blanca Aidé Arjona, works in a public prosecutor office as of 2007. It is not clear if this fact has anything to do with her murder. (sitaishen needed.)

The death of Peña, who had no known connections to traffickers or any criminal activity, and did not write or perform songs about traffickers, has instilled fear and concern in many Mexican performers.