Quick Facts
Biography
Rogelia Cruz MartÃnez (1940 - January 11, 1968) was a Guatemalan left-wing activist, the 1958 Miss Guatemala Universe winner, and Guatemala's representative in the 1959 Miss Universe pageant. She was murdered by a paramilitary death squad at the age of 27, reportedly due to her political activities.
Cruz, a student of Architecture, was a member of the Juventud Patriotica del Trabajo (JPT) party and the girlfriend of Guatemalan Party of Labour (PGT) commander Leonardo Castillo Johnson. She was kidnapped in December 1967, and was found dead on January 11, 1968 by a bridge near Escuintla, Guatemala. Her association with Johnson was the most likely cause for her murder.
Cruz's murder was quite visible to the world and resulted in a series of retaliatory murders. She was originally arrested for a traffic violation, but was released due to threats made by the PGT and the Fuerzas Armadas Rebeldes (FAR) on the judge presiding over the case. She disappeared after being released, and was not seen again until her naked corpse was found. She had been brutally tortured and raped. The PGT retaliated by attacking a group of US military personnel, killing two and wounding a third. The Guatemalan military responded by assassinating Johnson.