What is a "cold wallet" for cryptocurrencies? This was the device sought by the killer of Camilo Séptimo's keyboardist

The Attorney General's Office of the State of Mexico arrested Diego Sebastián "N" and Gerardo "N" for the multiple homicide of Jonathan Meléndez, keyboardist of Camilo Séptimo, his pregnant wife, his three-year-old daughter, and a domestic worker, which occurred on September 1 in Atizapán de Zaragoza. Authorities claim that the alleged material author entered the family apartment intending to locate a device known as a cold wallet, where access keys to a large amount of bitcoins were allegedly stored. According to the reconstruction of events, Diego Sebastián "N" allegedly offered his accomplice 2 million pesos to help him find those resources. The time of death of the victims was between 5:30 PM and 8:00 PM, coinciding with the time both remained inside the Grand Viure subdivision.

What exactly is a cold wallet for cryptocurrencies

A cold wallet, also called a cold wallet, is not a physical container for digital coins. It is a storage mechanism --- it can be a device the size of a USB memory or even a piece of paper --- that holds the private keys necessary to authorize cryptocurrency transactions on the blockchain. The difference with so-called hot wallets is the complete disconnection from the internet. While hot wallets remain connected to the network and are exposed to remote hacks, the cold wallet signs transactions in an isolated environment. The operation is completed offline, and only the signature, not the key, travels back to the connected device to be transmitted to the blockchain. The owner of a cold wallet receives, upon setting it up, a seed phrase of between 12 and 24 words that serves as a master key. Without that phrase, or without physical access to the device, no one can move the funds, even if they know the public address of the account. This explains why having the device in hand does not immediately guarantee control of the money. The security criteria of this type of wallet are designed to withstand exactly the scenario described by the Attorney General: someone looking for the physical device without having the complete credentials to operate it.

The plan included instructions to tie up the victims a day before

Investigators documented that on August 31, a day before the attack, Diego Sebastián "N" instructed Gerardo "N" to obtain flat and cross screwdrivers, tattoo gloves, face masks, and large zip ties. These items, along with a roll of gray industrial tape, match those used to tie up the four victims found in the apartment. Security cameras in the subdivision recorded Gerardo "N" entering in a gray Kia at 5:23 PM, with Diego Sebastián "N" as a passenger. He went up to the apartment a minute later, after a phone authorization from Meléndez's wife, who trusted him due to his relationship with the musician.

The silenced weapon ended up in a ravine

Jonathan Meléndez arrived at the residence at 7:28 PM accompanied by a friend, who waited downstairs after noticing some fear in the musician. At 7:41 PM, a camera captured Diego Sebastián "N" in the parking lot without having been seen previously exiting the elevator, and two minutes later the vehicle left the subdivision with both detainees on board. The weapon used against the victims was equipped with a silencer. "I disassembled it and threw it into a ravine," the perpetrator admitted to investigators, according to the investigation report. The absence of detonations heard by neighbors coincides with that version.

The penalties faced by the detainees

The two men entered the Tlalnepantla Social Reintegration Penitentiary Center, where the initial hearing to formulate charges is scheduled for 12:30 PM this Saturday. For the qualified homicide of each of the four victims, they could receive 25 to 70 years in prison. The Attorney General also attributes to them the crime of interruption of pregnancy, to the detriment of the fetus of Meléndez's wife, with a possible penalty of 5 to 10 years. The case also includes charges for mistreatment and cruelty against a female golden retriever dog found at the residence with a gunshot wound, a crime punishable by up to 6 years in prison.