Rosenberg planned his own execution, UN commission says

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Guatemala City lawyer Rodrigo Rosenberg planned his own execution, says Cicig (Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala), a UN-backed investigative body in charge with solving the murder. Rosenberg was assassinated in May by a hit team while riding his bike near his Zona 14 home. The day after his murder, a video surfaced in which Rosenberg said he was under death threats and that President Alvaro Colom, his wife Sandra Torres and his private secretary had orchestrated his murder. The video and its accusations caused widespread protests and government destabilization. Many wanted the resignation of President Alvaro Colom.

On Tuesday, Cicig unveiled the results of its investigation in a press conference held in a Guatemala City hotel. Citing extensive evidence, Cicig director Carlos Castresana said Rosenberg arranged his own assassination with the unknowing help of friends who hired a contract killer. Rosenberg gave the impression he was trying to 'one-up' his supposed assassin by getting to him first but what the perpetrators didn't know was that their target was Rosenberg himself.

Castresana cites Rosenberg's disappointment over a failed marriage, sadness over the death of Marjorie Musa (with whom he was romantically involved), and grief over the recent death of his mother as reasons for his elaborate death wish. Marjorie Musa was assassinated in 2009, along with her father. Rosenberg had been investigating the murder and blamed the Guatemalan government.

The revelations unleashed a wave of public opinion on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Some still aren't convinced by the results of the investigation, despite Cicig's excellent track record in uncovering several of Guatemala's high-profile crimes. The truth in Guatemala is often harder to believe than lies.