MEXICO CITY — Amid broad outrage over the slaying of a 14-year-old kidnap victim, Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Thursday urged Congress to toughen punishments for convicted kidnappers to include up to life in prison.
The proposal would make kidnapping in some cases subject to the harshest criminal sentence in Mexico, which abolished its death penalty three years ago. Kidnappers currently face up to 70 years in prison. Murderers face a possible maximum of 60 years.
A poll published Thursday in the Reforma newspaper found that 71 percent of respondents in liberal Mexico City favored executing kidnappers.
Fernando Marti’s body turned up in the trunk of a car last week even though his parents reportedly had paid $3 million in ransom. His bodyguard said Marti was seized June 4 by men in police uniform.
Two of the three men arrested so far are Mexico City police officers, and investigators reportedly are looking into possible involvement by members of the federal police.
