Mexico questions officials in journalist, activist killings

1MEXICO CITY (AP) " Investigators began interviewing more top officials in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz on Tuesday about the recent killing of a photojournalist, an activist and three other women in the Mexican capital.
2Mexico City prosecutors said they have requested statements from the current and former Veracruz public security secretaries as well as the head of a state commission responsible for protecting journalists.
3The commission said in a separate statement that its chief met with investigators Tuesday.
4There was no information on when the other two officials would testify, but prosecutors said the investigators would be in the state for several days.
5Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte has also been interviewed about the killings and denied involvement.
6Ruben Espinosa was a photographer who fled the state to seek refuge in Mexico City after receiving threats.
7His friend and activist Nadia Vera was an outspoken critic of the Veracruz government.
8Both were found dead late last month along with the three other victims in an apartment in a middle-class Mexico City neighborhood.
9Family members and groups defending freedom of expression have urged investigators to determine whether they may have been killed because of their work.
10Thirteen journalists have been killed in Veracruz since Duarte took office in 2010 and three more have disappeared.
11One suspect has been arrested in the Mexico City case, based on a fingerprint found in the apartment.