Cecilio Perez Cruz, Salvadoran priest, shot to death
Several colleagues believe he was murdered for being outspoken about deforestation near his parish.
Cecilio Perez Cruz, a Catholic priest, was found shot to death in bed on May 18 in San Jose La Majada parish, El Salvador. He was in his late thirties.
Authorities said there was a note near his body saying that he had not paid rent to the Mara Salavatrucha, understood to be referring to money the gang was seeking to extort.
Yet San Salvador archbishop Jose Luis Escobar Alas questioned whether the note existed, especially since Perez had not been threatened beforehand. Several colleagues believe he was murdered for being outspoken about deforestation near his parish, Catholic News Service wrote.
