A new documentary series from HBO Max will revisit one of the most consequential events in modern Mexican political history: the assassination of Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta.
Titled “Los asesinos de Colosio” (The Assassins of Colosio), the docuseries will reexamine the crime that shocked Mexico in 1994 and continues to spark debate more than three decades later.
The project is part of a broader lineup of investigative Mexican documentaries scheduled for release on HBO Max in 2026, focusing on historic events that shaped the country.
A Crime That Shook Mexico
Colosio, the presidential candidate of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), was assassinated on March 23, 1994, during a campaign rally in the Lomas Taurinas neighborhood of Tijuana.
The attack occurred in front of hundreds of supporters. After being shot, Colosio was rushed to a hospital where he died hours later from his injuries.
The killing stunned the nation and marked one of the most dramatic political moments of Mexico’s turbulent 1990s.
Authorities concluded that the gunman was Mario Aburto Martínez, who was arrested at the scene and later sentenced to 42 years in prison.
Yet from the beginning, questions emerged about whether the attack was carried out by a lone individual or whether a broader conspiracy may have been involved.
Reexamining the Investigation
The new docuseries will revisit the case using archival footage, interviews, and investigative materials to reconstruct both the assassination and the official investigations that followed.
According to early information about the production, the series will explore several key aspects of the case, including the political climate leading up to the 1994 presidential election, the events of the rally in Tijuana where the shooting occurred, the official investigations conducted after the assassination, and the theories and controversies that have surrounded the case for decades.
By revisiting testimony, records, and historical reporting, the production aims to provide viewers with a clearer picture of the circumstances surrounding the attack.
A Case That Still Raises Questions
Although the judicial process concluded with Aburto’s conviction, the Colosio case remains a subject of debate in Mexico. Over the years, journalists, historians, and political analysts have pointed to inconsistencies in witness testimony and investigative procedures.
In recent years the case has resurfaced again in public discussion. In 2025, federal prosecutors detained a suspected participant connected to the assassination, reigniting speculation about whether additional actors may have been involved.
More than 30 years after the event, the killing continues to be one of the most analyzed political crimes in modern Mexican history.
Previous Films and Series About Colosio
The assassination of Colosio has inspired several film and television productions.
One of the best known is the 2012 film Colosio: El asesinato, which presented a fictionalized story inspired by the investigation.
In 2019, the streaming platform Netflix released the dramatized series Historia de un crimen: Colosio, depicting events surrounding the assassination and its aftermath.
The HBO Max series “Los asesinos de Colosio” will take a different approach, presenting the story through a documentary and investigative lens.
The Rise of True-Crime Documentaries
The production also reflects the continued growth of the true-crime documentary genre on streaming platforms.
Services like HBO Max have increasingly invested in investigative storytelling that examines historical events, criminal cases, and unresolved controversies.
With the release of “Los asesinos de Colosio,” the assassination of one of Sonora’s most prominent political figures will once again return to the center of public discussion.
