4 Mexican soldiers charged with raping and killing 73-year-old Indian woman in rural town

Associated Press:

Four Mexican soldiers were arrested and accused of raping and murdering a 73-year-old woman in a case that has outraged Indian groups in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz.

Prosecutors said Wednesday the victim was bound, beaten and sodomized on Sunday and died at a hospital from injuries sustained in the attack.

The four soldiers _ whose names and ranks were not made public _ were arraigned late Tuesday in the city of Orizaba, Veracruz, on charges of rape and homicide, state Attorney General Emeterio Lopez Marquez said.

Authorities say the attack occurred in the mountain town of Soledad Atzompa, about 120 miles east of Mexico City.

The soldiers apparently will face the charges in civilian courts. It was unclear whether they might face additional counts in Mexico's military justice system.

The town's mayor, Javier Perez Pascuaza, has demanded that authorities investigate and that soldiers be withdrawn from the predominantly Indian region. On Tuesday, the army dismantled three nearby military encampments.

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