Martin Corona

Tony Rafael

"These are the true confessions of an assassin. Martin Corona started out life seemingly as American as a midcentury American kid could be. He was the son of a US marine, bouncing from one warm beach base to another. But the combination of an abusive father, ill-advised medication, and some bad choices before he was even a teenager led him into a brutal, murderous outlaw life. In and out of prison, Corona, aka 'Nite Owl, ' soon came into contact with Sureños and the so-called Mexican Mafia. After having proved himself to be fearless and loyal, he joined an elite crew run by the Arellano Félix brothers, founders of the Tijuana drug cartel that dominated the cross-border drug trade and the associated bloody gang warfare for decades. Corona and his crew would leave their luxurious hideout in Mexico, cross the border whenever they wished, kill whoever needed to be killed, and often return to their "office" the same day. Special Agent of the California Department of Justice Steve Duncan pursued the arrest of Martin Corona for years and wrote the foreword to this powerful memoir. He says Corona is the only former cartel hit man he knows who is truly remorseful. Corona's turning state's evidence led to the arrest of Javier Arellano Felix and the ultimate downfall of the Tijuana Cartel in 2006. But Corona wasn't free from his past. This story gives insight into how one human being became able to kill without hesitation--and how, no longer a killer, and asking for forgiveness, he now lives with himself."--Jacket.

Confessions of a Cartel Hit Man

The true confession of an assassin, a sicario, who rose through the ranks of the Southern California gang world to become a respected leader in an elite, cruelly efficient crew of hit men for Mexico's "most vicious drug cartel," and eventually found a way out and an (almost) normal life. Martin Corona, a US citizen, fell into the outlaw life at twelve and worked for a crew run by the Arellano brothers, founders of the the Tijuana drug cartel that dominated the Southern California drug trade and much bloody gang warfare for decades. Corona's crew would cross into the United States from their luxurious hideout in Mexico, kill whoever needed to be killed north of the border, and return home in the afternoon. That work continued until the arrest of Javier Arellano-Félix in 2006 in a huge coordinated DEA operation. Martin Corona played a key role in the downfall of the cartel when he turned state's evidence. He confessed to multiple murders. Special Agent of the California Department of Justice Steve Duncan, who wrote the foreword, says Martin Corona is the only former cartel hit man he knows who is truly remorseful. Martin's father was a US Marine. The family had many solid middle-class advantages, including the good fortune to be posted in Hawaii for a time during which a teenage Martin thought he might be able to turn away from the outlaw life of theft, drug dealing, gun play, and prostitution. He briefly quit drugs and held down a job, but a die had been cast. He soon returned to a gangbanging life he now deeply regrets. How does someone become evil, a murderer who can kill without hesitation? This story is an insight into how it happened to one human being and how he now lives with himself. He is no longer a killer; he has asked for forgiveness; he has made a kind of peace for himself. He wrote letters to family members of his victims. Some of them not only wrote back but came to support him at his parole hearings. It is a cautionary tale, but also one that shows that evil doesn't have to be forever.

From Boy Scout to assassin – the true confessions of a cartel hitman At the age of twelve Martin Corona started dealing drugs. After years in and out of prison, he rose through the ranks to become the leader of an elite killing squad for a notorious Tijuana drug cartel. Now haunted by his past deeds, he lives with the fact that he once pulled the trigger on a pregnant woman in front of her seven-year-old child, and accidentally shot a cardinal while hunting down El Chapo in an airport. Martin Corona has been convicted of multiple murders committed during his time as a cartel career hitman. These killings were brutal and cruelly efficient. Corona's gang would cross into the United States from their luxurious hideout in Mexico, eradicate whoever needed to be killed north of the border, and return home in the afternoon. In this book, Martin’s shocking first-hand confessions illuminate his descent from teenage drug dealer to murderous member of the drug cartel run by the Arellano brothers that dominated the Southern California drug trade - and initiated much violent gang warfare - for decades. Martin's story illuminates how a young boy, who played Little League football and was a Boy Scout, became a vicious criminal. Both shocking and powerful, it asks us how someone can inflict so much evil and whether they can find forgiveness on the other side.

Martin Corona

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