ABSTRACT
The settling of scores, a power struggle, and savage rivalry caused the sudden demand for a dark and old trade: hitmen or hired killers. Hitmen are considered by the leaders of criminal associations as disposable elements. The average working life of someone who joins a drug-trafficking organization as a hitman is no more than three years. The way in which the homicide is committed is only the beginning of the procedure. Hitmen have developed a whole code to communicate among themselves through the homicides that they commit. Generally, violence within the family is a common element in hitmen. In a study about the effects of exposure to violence in teenagers, Strenziok et al. (2011) selected 29 subjects; these people repeatedly watched videos that displayed varying degrees of aggressive behavior. In December 2010, a particular criminal case caused great alarm in Mexico. It was the arrest of a young hitman, Edgar Jimenez Lugo, known as 'el Ponchis'.
