There is more to that offshoot Mormon group in Mexico than is hitting the news, yet. Information is they have always been well armed at there compound, and have had clashes with the cartels in the past.
Not to say this is an excuse, but I do wonder if there was an underlining cause, or just mis-identification...etc.
for some reason the spokesman for the Langford family thinks his family was used as bait... his thought process is this: Juarez Cartel shot up the cars and burned them in order to trick the Sinaloa Cartel into thinking that it was their vehicles burning and have them rush into a trap... surely the Sinaloa Cartel has access to radios and would quickly figure out it wasn't their white suburbans.... Mr. Langford is much more in tune with the local dynamics but I still find this hard to believe. Reuters Article on Massacred Family
so, if it wasn't a trap set by the Juarez Cartel then why did this happen? this aspect of it has bugged me over the last few days. how does the Juarez Cartel benefit from killing these Mexican-Americans? My mind quickly drifts to Poncho Villa days and the situations are similar.
Poncho Villa's massacre of Americans occurred during a revolutionary Mexico with competing factions trying to assume the lead dog identity and showing up the Americans was a great way to gain clout among the competing revolutionary groups. Strong action against foreigners along the northern border gains you political respect in Mexico City.
does the same thinking apply to the cartels here? I know Mexico isn't currently in open revolution with competing militias trying to have a seat at the table but the situation seems similar. This doesn't seem like typical fighting over smuggling routes. Would one cartel actually benefit in Mexico City from a brazen act against Americans? Are cartels so synonymous with Mexican govt that there are tangible links between their goals and operations?
lots of spit-balling here but this one has me confused....