The tragic killing of 22 year old Colombian model and influencer María José Estupiñán has ignited widespread fury and reignited fierce criticism over the country’s continued failure to protect women from gender-based violence.
Estupiñán, a student and rising social media personality from the northeastern city of Cúcuta, was shot dead at her home on May 15 by a man disguised as a delivery driver. According to police, the suspect rang her doorbell and shot her in the face when she answered. Surveillance footage captured the suspect fleeing the scene shortly after the attack.
Authorities have since revealed that Estupiñán had been a victim of domestic abuse and had filed multiple reports against her ex-partner in the past. Just one day before her death, a judge ruled in her favor in a case against her former abuser, ordering him to pay 30 million pesos (approximately $7,000) in compensation.
Now, investigators are treating the case as a possible femicide, the intentional killing of a woman because of her gender, a legal classification under Colombian law. “It could be a case of femicide, since she filed several complaints for domestic violence in previous years,” said Colonel Leonardo Capacho of the Cúcuta police. “But that is a matter of investigation.”
Women’s rights advocates argue that the state is directly implicated in Estupiñán’s death. “She was a young, enterprising woman with a whole life ahead of her, but those dreams were cut short like the dreams of many women in this country,” said Magda Victoria Acosta, president of the national gender commission of the Colombian Judiciary.
Alejandra Vera, director of the feminist collective Woman, Speak Out and Move It, called the murder “preventable” and blasted the government for inaction. “The brutal murder of María José is the result of a system that normalises violence against women,” she said. “Each crime reflects a systematic pattern of impunity and state negligence. María José, like thousands, did what the system demands: she reported the crime, presented evidence, and asked for help. But the state let her die.”
Colombia has seen a sharp rise in femicides, reaching a seven-year high in 2024, with 886 cases reported, according to the Colombian Observatory of Femicides. By March 2025, 207 femicides had already been recorded. Human Rights Watch has warned that gender-based violence in the country is both widespread and rarely punished.
Despite existing legal frameworks designed to protect women, enforcement remains alarmingly weak. “The laws are dead letters,” said Vera. “Police lack resources, prosecutors aren’t trained to handle gender-based cases, and abusers are not tracked. Shelters are overcrowded or nonexistent. Women are left completely unprotected and the perpetrators know it.”
Estupiñán’s killing has drawn parallels to the recent murder of Mexican influencer Valeria Márquez, who was shot while livestreaming from a beauty salon. Authorities in Mexico are investigating that case as femicide as well.
In Colombia, activists have called for nationwide marches in Cúcuta and Bogotá to demand justice for Estupiñán and real institutional change. At her funeral this past weekend, mourners honored her memory with heartfelt tributes. A relative bid farewell: “María José, life for you was a wonderful journey, but very short. Fly, fly very high, Majo.”
