A case that few in Mexico have forgotten has just resurfaced. The death of El Pirata de Culiacán remains one of those murders that marked the social media community, and it is now trending again following the confirmation of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, death on February 22.

Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales, El Pirata de Culiacán, was an influencer who achieved viral fame before turning 18. He was born in April 2000 in Villa Juárez, Sinaloa, and was raised by his grandmother after his father abandoned him and his mother left him in her care. At 15, he left home for Culiacán, where he began posting videos that exploded on social media. His content featured parties, alcohol, regional Mexican music, and that lifestyle that led him to gather nearly 790,000 followers on Facebook and 323,000 on Instagram. Artists like Noel Aragón, Último Escuadrón, Ángel De Imperio, and El Ninii dedicated corridos to him.

But there is a video that changed everything. On November 9, 2017, El Pirata posted a recording mocking the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. He launched a direct phrase against El Mencho that went viral instantly. The person recording reacted with a simple "ya valió," as if knowing something bad was about to happen. Despite the viral spread, the young man continued posting content without changing his behavior.

Three weeks later, on December 18, 2017, El Pirata de Culiacán was murdered. It all happened at Menta2 Cantaros bar in Zapopan, Jalisco. That night, he had streamed live from an apartment in Guadalajara, inviting his followers to see him at the bar. When he arrived, he was accompanied by Roberto González (Hotspanish) and Benjamín López Ferrigno (Ben El Gringo).

What happened next was quick and chaotic. About four armed individuals entered the bar and headed straight toward El Pirata. Ben El Gringo later described what happened: "As soon as we arrived, we all sat down except El Pirata de Culiacán. The two girls went to the bathroom, and a guy was with him. Suddenly someone pulls the table, we don’t know who, and everyone drops to the floor because they heard gunshots. We all threw ourselves to the ground, we didn’t see anyone’s face, any of the suspects, nothing."

El Pirata received at least 15 gunshot wounds to different parts of his body: head, arms, chest. He tried to take cover behind the bar owner, but the attackers cornered him in a corner. The owner was also injured and later died from his injuries. Hotspanish, who had only met El Pirata twice, commented afterward: "We were just arriving, then I hear bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. My instinct was to stand up, jump, hide behind something." What was clear is that only El Pirata was the fatal victim. As Hotspanish mentioned: "Analyzing the situation, seeing that only El Pirata among us died, it’s clearer that they didn’t want to hurt us, nor my friend Ben, nor any girl."

The obvious question everyone was asking: was it revenge for the video? After El Pirata de Culiacán’s murder, that theory spread quickly. However, the Jalisco Prosecutor’s Office never officially confirmed that connection. Raúl Sánchez Jiménez, the prosecutor at the time, stated that it was unknown whether the video was directly related to the homicide, although he acknowledged that anyone offended by El Pirata could have attacked him.

Authorities analyzed multiple lines of investigation: social media content, his environment, the circumstances of the attack. According to later reports, Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, alias El Tripas or El Doble R, a lieutenant of CJNG, was believed to have taken revenge for the insult to his boss. The same capo is also linked to the murder of influencer Valeria Márquez.

Now, with El Mencho’s death confirmed in 2026, the case of El Pirata de Culiacán’s death is back in the conversation. It’s one of those reminders of how violence in Mexico reached viral figures, and how a video, a phrase, a moment of bravado online, ended up being the last act of someone who was barely 17 years old.