Morris Roy Lester was charged shortly after gaining custody of his children, a sequence of events that triggered accusations of attempted femicide by his ex-wife.
By Guadalupe Lizárraga
Based on reporting by Alfredo Griz*The case against Morris Roy Lester did not begin with his arrest. By the time authorities detained him in Mexico City in August 2023, the accusation had already taken shape — not through a body of verifiable evidence, but through a narrative that had been consolidating for months within the judicial system.
Lester, a Scottish national who has lived in Mexico since 2006, faces a charge of attempted femicide. The accusation stems from a complaint filed by his former partner, Rachel Fiszman, in December 2022. She alleges that in October of that year, Lester assaulted and attempted to strangle her inside a private hospital in Mexico City.
No video footage has been produced. No hospital report confirms that the incident occurred. No independent witness has placed Lester at the scene.
The allegation emerged in the context of a prolonged custody dispute over their children. The relationship had broken down in 2021, followed by multiple legal complaints. Some were dismissed. None resulted in a conviction.
In July 2023, a family court ruling granted Lester custody. Weeks later, he was arrested on the attempted femicide charge.
He denies the accusation. He maintains that on the day of the alleged attack he was at his home in Cuernavaca, ill and unable to travel.
The timeline raises further questions. Nearly ten months elapsed between the alleged incident and his arrest. During that period, Lester remained at a known address and continued to attend court proceedings. There is no indication that he attempted to evade authorities.
Despite this, he was placed in pretrial detention, where he has remained for nearly three years without a sentence.
The prosecution’s case relies on Fiszman’s account and statements from individuals within her immediate circle. None of those witnesses were present at the hospital. Their testimonies align with her version of events but do not independently verify it.
Crucial evidence is absent. The alleged assault is said to have taken place in a large private hospital with controlled access and surveillance systems. No footage has been disclosed. No forensic findings have been made public to substantiate an attempt to kill.
Even so, prosecutors pursued a charge that, under Mexican law, requires proof of intent to kill and indicators of gender-based violence. Those elements have not been supported by publicly available evidence in this case.
The court’s role has been decisive.
Judge Júpiter López Ruiz has allowed the prosecution to proceed without requiring the evidentiary threshold typically associated with a charge of this gravity. The court has not demanded hospital surveillance footage. It has not required independent corroboration of the alleged attack. The absence of physical evidence has not halted the process.
Instead, the case has advanced on the strength of the accusation itself.
What emerges is a consistent procedural pattern: a complaint filed amid a custody dispute; supporting statements from witnesses connected to the complainant; a prosecutorial case assembled without material evidence; and judicial decisions that permit the process to continue without addressing its evidentiary gaps.
At the center of that pattern is Judge López Ruiz. His rulings have sustained the case despite the lack of verifiable proof, allowing the accusation to function as the primary engine of the prosecution.
At the end of that process is Lester, in prison.
He has not been convicted. He has not been sentenced. Yet he remains deprived of liberty.
What began as a family dispute has evolved into a criminal case carrying decades of potential imprisonment. In practice, the accusation alone has been sufficient to keep the case alive — and to keep him behind bars.
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This report draws on the ongoing investigation of journalist Alfredo Griz. His reporting on the case is still in progress, and the findings presented here reflect a developing body of evidence.
Original reporting (in Spanish):
PART I: Morris Roy Lester: La construcción de un culpable en la ciudad de México.
PART II: Caso Morris Roy Lester: acusación sin pruebas y sin control judicial.