Two suspects involved in a quadruple homicide in Mexico were reportedly searching for a cold storage wallet that they believed contained millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin, according to a Saturday report by La Jornada, which referenced an update from the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Mexico (FGJEM).
The individuals, identified only as Diego Sebastián and Gerardo, are set to appear at a court hearing on Wednesday where a judge will decide whether there is adequate proof to advance formal criminal charges against them, as reported by Diario de México on Sunday.
The FGJEM disclosed the apprehension of both suspects via a Sept. 2 X post.
Based on details from La Jornada, prosecutors allege that the pair murdered Jonathan Meléndez—the keyboard player for the rock group Camilo Séptimo—along with his pregnant wife, his daughter, and a worker inside their residence located in the municipality of Atizapán de Zaragoza. The household’s golden retriever was also slain during the incident.
The FGJEM stated that if found guilty, the accused individuals could face between 25 and 70 years behind bars for each murder victim, as noted by La Jornada.
One of the suspects maintained a business association with one of the victims and supposedly leveraged that connection to gain entry into the property, Mexico’s security secretary, Omar García Harfuch, explained in a Sept. 2 X post.
Physical assaults target cryptocurrency owners
Crypto wrench attacks involve physical violence or intimidation designed to compel individuals into surrendering their digital currency or granting access to their crypto wallets. The initial six months of 2026 registered 20 publicly documented home invasions targeting crypto holders, marking a rise from just one case during the corresponding timeframe the previous year, according to data from blockchain security organization CertiK.
CertiK documented a combined 52 wrench assaults globally throughout the first half of 2026, representing a 33.3% increase compared to the 39 occurrences recorded across the same duration in 2025.
Attack type year-on-year, H1 2025 vs. H1 2026. Source: CertiK
During the first half of 2026, wrongdoers embezzled upwards of $30 million in crypto via physical coercion attacks, based on evaluations by blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis.
Related: Coldcard third-wave attacker moves 45% of stolen Bitcoin
Back in October 2025, perpetrators murdered convicted Russian cryptocurrency fraudster Roman Novak alongside his spouse after abducting them and demanding entry to their crypto holdings, reported Russian media outlet Fontanka.
Wrench-based crimes climbed by 75% in 2025, reaching 72 confirmed cases worldwide, per CertiK findings. France reported the highest volume of attacks that year with 19 verified instances, while Europe represented roughly 40% of all global assaults throughout 2025.
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Originally published at https://cointelegraph.com/news/mexico-quadruple-homicide-alleged-bitcoin-robbery?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound.
