The HBO Original documentary series “COLOSIO: POLITICAL ASSASSINATION” is now available on HBO Max, featuring three episodes that once again bring to the forefront one of the most shocking and controversial cases in Mexico’s recent history: the assassination of Luis Donaldo Colosio.
On March 23, 1994, in Lomas Taurinas, Tijuana, a campaign rally unfolded amid music, applause, and the close presence of a crowd surrounding the presidential candidate. Then, in a matter of seconds, the applause turned into chaos. A point-blank gunshot, screams, confusion—an image forever etched in memory as the moment when a candidacy and the country’s political course were shattered in front of everyone.
“Despite the efforts that were made, Mr. Luis Donaldo Colosio, candidate of the Institutional Revolutionary Party for the presidency of the Republic…has passed away.” With these words, Liébano Sáenz, Colosio’s campaign secretary, confirmed the news of his death to all of Mexico.
Across three episodes, the documentary series delves into the case’s complete judicial file recently declassified to reconstruct what happened from a different perspective. It is not only about revisiting the facts, but about understanding how the official narrative was built and why, more than 30 years later, there are still pieces that do not quite fit.
With the investigation officially reopened in 2022, the documentary raises once again the questions that never had answers. Was there truly only one perpetrator? What elements of the case remain unexplained? Through documents, analysis, and new information, the series guides viewers through the spaces where the story becomes unclear and the truth remains uncertain.
One of the most revealing elements of the investigation is the inclusion of material that had never been made public. For the first time, Mario Aburto’s family speaks directly, including his brother José Luis Aburto Martínez, who provides insight into what happened away from the public eye. Among this new material are recordings of phone calls made with Aburto himself from different prisons where he was held recordings that the family shared with journalist Laura Sánchez Ley and that now form an integral part of the documentary.
These testimonies are joined by individuals offering different perspectives on the case, from those involved in the legal process, such as attorneys Jesús González Schmal and Xavier Carvajal Machado—Mario Aburto’s first lawyer—to those who experienced Aburto’s environment firsthand, such as J. Jesús Lemus Barajas, who shared a prison cell with him.
“COLOSIO: POLITICAL ASSASSINATION” also features the participation of journalists, researchers, and other key figures, including Adriana Miranda Badillo; Norma Meraz Domínguez, a close friend of Diana Laura de Colosio; Laura Elena Colosio Murrieta, Luis Donaldo’s sister; and Laura Sánchez Ley herself, author of “Aburto: Testimonies from Almoloya, the Ice Hell.” It also includes statements from Mexican political figures such as former Baja California governor Ernesto Ruffo Appel and former President of Mexico Carlos Salinas de Gortari.
The documentary series further explores one of the most controversial lines of inquiry in the case: the possibility of a second gunman. Based on a review of the case file and new interpretations, it highlights inconsistencies that directly challenge the idea of a lone attacker.
It also introduces one of its most unsettling elements: testimony from an anonymous figure suggesting that the events of that day cannot be understood without looking within the same circle of power that Colosio himself represented. Without making definitive claims, but with suggestions that heighten the tension, the story hints at the possibility that the truth may be far more complex than previously understood.
With this production, Warner Bros. Discovery reinforces its commitment to delivering content with journalistic rigor and strong narrative value, approaching major social-impact events from fresh perspectives and with regional relevance.
Produced by PAR Producciones for Warner Bros. Discovery, “COLOSIO: POLITICAL ASSASSINATION” does not seek to deliver a final verdict, but rather to reopen a case that many believed had already been resolved.
All three episodes are now available on HBO Max.
