{"id":11590,"date":"2025-10-22T03:09:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T03:09:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/11590\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T03:09:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T03:09:26","slug":"beauty-queen-likened-to-el-chapos-wife-charged-with-gunning-down-cartel-member-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/11590\/","title":{"rendered":"Beauty Queen likened to El Chapo’s wife charged with gunning down cartel member in California"},"content":{"rendered":"

By BRITTANY CHAIN, US SENIOR REPORTER<\/a> <\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 20:34 EDT, 21 October 2025 | Updated: 20:55 EDT, 21 October 2025 <\/p>\n

A beauty queen who has been likened to El Chapo’s wife<\/a> was charged with gunning down a cartel member in the parking garage of a ritzy San Diego apartment.<\/p>\n

Lidia Vanessa Gurrola Peraza, who is most commonly known as Vanessa Gurrola, was arrested in San Diego on October 9 accused of killing Christian Espinoza Silver.<\/p>\n

Silver, also known by his alias El Chato, was gunned down on February 17, 2024 inside his BMW. He had links to the Arellano\u00a0F\u00e9lix Cartel.<\/p>\n

Gurrola, 32, is reportedly being held\u00a0at the Las Colinas detention center and will next face court for a hearing on November 19.<\/p>\n

She has denied the charges.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While police have not yet revealed a motive, early reports suggested the shooting may have been linked to a turf war, according to the East Bay Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

El Chato was rushed to hospital following the shooting but was later declared dead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Lidia <\/p>\n

Lidia Vanessa Gurrola Peraza, who is most commonly known as Vanessa Gurrola, was arrested in San Diego on October 9 accused of killing Christian Espinoza Silver<\/p>\n

\"Gurrola <\/p>\n

Gurrola is a Mexican beauty queen and social media influencer from Sinaloa and supporters often compare her appearance to El Chapo’s wife, Emma Coronel (pictured)<\/p>\n

A 39-year-old passenger who was in the car with him at the time survived the attack.<\/p>\n

San Diego authorities described the shooting at the time as a ‘targeted attack.’<\/p>\n

At the time, investigators described the shooter as a male, who was wearing a camouflage jacket, black pants and had a black backpack.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They said the shooter fled the scene immediately after approaching the car and opening fire.\u00a0<\/p>\n

El Chato had reported links to\u00a0Edwin Huerta Nu\u00f1o, also known as ‘El Flaquito,’ who was arrested in Tijuana in June.<\/p>\n

Gurrola is a Mexican beauty queen and social media influencer from Sinaloa and supporters often compare her appearance to El Chapo’s wife, Emma Coronel.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Coronel <\/p>\n

Coronel married ruthless Mexican drug lord Joaqu\u00edn ‘El Chapo’ Guzm\u00e1n Loera when she was just a teenager<\/p>\n

\"She <\/p>\n

She documented her life of luxury to more than one million Instagram followers prior to her arrest, sharing pictures of international travel and designer goods<\/p>\n

She documented her life of luxury to more than one million Instagram followers prior to her arrest, sharing pictures of international travel and designer goods.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She commented on the similarities in 2018, telling local Mexican media outlets the comparisons to Coronel ‘did not bother me’, but denying she had any blood relation.<\/p>\n

Coronel married ruthless Mexican drug lord Joaqu\u00edn ‘El Chapo’ Guzm\u00e1n Loera when she was just a teenager.<\/p>\n

She was sentenced to three years behind bars in 2021 after pleading guilty to three counts of helping her husband’s Mexico-based Sinaloa drug cartel, including conspiracy to launder money and distribute illegal drugs and engaging in financial dealings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She was released<\/a>\u00a0on September 13, 2023 – but her kingpin husband continues to serve a life-plus-30-years sentence in Colorado<\/a>‘s federal Supermax prison.<\/p>\n

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\n Beauty Queen likened to El Chapo’s wife charged with gunning down cartel member in California<\/p>\n