Relatives of a Chihuahua family shot and killed by an alleged vendor of body organs remember the victims as members of a hard-working family.

Daniel Gregorio Romero Vega, 65, who suffered from diabetes and was in urgent need of a kidney transplant, had paid a man half a million pesos for a kidney, but the organ had not been delivered.

He and his family invited the man, who has been identified only as Jorge Alberto, to their home where they intended to demand he return the money.

But the meeting on the night of June 30 turned sour, according to officials at the state Attorney General’s office. They said surveillance camera footage shows Jorge Alberto draw a 9mm handgun and shoot and kill Romero and four members of his family. He stopped short of taking the life of a two-year-old boy, Romero’s grandson.

In addition to Romero, the victims were his wife, Rita Armendáriz Barraza, 62, two of their three daughters, Daniela and María Romero Armendáriz, 36 and 32, and son-in-law Ricardo Chávez Pérez, 32.

The massacre was discovered the following morning by another of Romero’s sons-in-law.

“Rita and Daniel did everything for their children. They both came from ranches in Parral and moved to Chihuahua to raise their three daughters.”

Romero held two jobs, one at the municipal water department and the other in a factory. They put their daughters through school, and all three had obtained bachelor’s degrees.

“He loved his neighbors, he helped everyone, family and friends. He was a volunteer at several charities and bought presents for orphaned children at Christmas,” family members said.

Jorge Alberto is now in custody, accused of murdering at least seven people while employed as an orderly at an IMSS hospital. He allegedly helped fellow employees get job promotions in exchange for a fee, and found organs for people requiring transplants.

But he didn’t always keep his side of the deal, and is suspected of killing his victims when they complained. Authorities say Jorge’s racket was so profitable he had bought 10 luxury vehicles.

Source: El Universal (sp)