The main witness in the murder of a man from Quebec was found dead in Mexico in May, a week after giving a statement to Mexican authorities.

The Canadian Victor Masson, 27, was shot dead in the coastal city of Puerto Escondido on the Pacific coast on May 15. Prosecutors said the body of the man from Saguenay, Quebec, was found in his car in an area where few tourists stay.

A week later, a Mexican witness, Sergio Ruiz Longas, provided a statement to investigators identifying a man named Mario Omarra Sanguinez Lopez as responsible for the Canadian tourist's death. In June, Sanguinez Lopez was officially charged with murder under Mexican criminal law.

The Oaxaca Attorney General's office also confirmed that Ruiz Longas was a murder victim at the end of May. It declined to specify whether there was a connection between the two murders or if the recent murder was aimed at silencing the witness.

The Masson family learned of the witness's death only two months after the killing, with the victim's brother saying, "It was a huge shock. It’s like being in a movie, a really bad movie."

A week after Victor Masson's murder, Ruiz Longas told investigators that he was walking down the street when the Quebecer was killed before his eyes, at midnight, in Puerto Escondido.

The witness stated in his testimony that the accused, Mario Omarra Sanguinez Lopez, pulled out a gun and fired two shots at the driver of the gray car.

He also recounted how the accused approached him with the gun and threatened to settle scores if he told anyone what happened. When he met the police on May 22, witness Ruiz Longas said he feared for his life.

The witness was killed days later under circumstances that Mexican authorities refuse to disclose due to ongoing investigations.

The Oaxaca Attorney General's office stated that the murder of this main witness, Sergio Ruiz Longas, does not compromise Masson's case.

However, the defense may object to the acceptance of this testimony in court, as it would be impossible to conduct cross-examination.

On May 25, an arrest warrant was issued for the accused, Mario Omarra Sanguinez Lopez. The next day, he made his first appearance charged with the murder of Masson and was indicted on June 1, according to a press release from the Oaxaca Attorney General's office.

In light of recent events, the prosecution reported that the judge granted the police a month-long extension to complete their investigations. The next hearing is scheduled for September 18, where the Attorney General's office will present evidence against the defendant.

Edward Masson stated that he is receiving little support from Canadian authorities in the case of his brother Victor's murder that took place in Mexico.

The Masson family also mentioned that the lawyer representing them in Mexico withdrew from the case for fear of retaliation.