abel morieta speak clearly are going to run bigger risks. reporter: morieta was known for challenging criminal groups and drug cartels. as a private lawyer, he was also representing the lebarons, an outspoken family with dual u.s./mexico citizenship that lost nine members when they were murdered by suspected cartel members in mexico in late 2019. tweeting shortly after morieta was killed saying in part, they have killed my defender what do we call this, the rule of law? do you believe he was killed because of his opposition to the cartels? yes. he was always exposing them. to me, he died a martyr. reporter: authorities have not identified suspects or motive in morieta s murder but the victim seemed to know he was at risk, saying this a few days before he died.
like ana maria says criminal groups want their preferred candidate in office so they might target others they done like, especially candidates who make crime a center piece of their campaigns. candidates that talk the way abel murrieta speak clearly are going to run bigger risks. murrieta was known for challenging criminal groups and drug cartels. as a private lawyer he was also representing an outspoken family with duel u.s./mexico citizenship that lost nine of its members when they were murdered by suspected cartel members in mexico in late 2019. tweeting shortly after murrieta was killed saying in part, quote, they have killed my defender, what do we call this, the rule of law. do you believe he was killed because of his opposition to the cartels? yes, he was always exposing them. to me, he died a martyr.