Man admits to brutal beating of Canadian tourist

Man admits to brutal beating of Canadian tourist

Jose Ramon Acosta Quintero, aka 'El Ray', is escorted by soldiers during his presentation to the press in Mazatlan, Mexico, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. Acosta Quintero is accused by state authorities of being the man responsible in the brutal beating of Sheila Nabb, 37, a Canadian woman at a five-star resort in Mazatlan. Authorities are trying to find out whether Quintero was involved in other attacks on tourists, according to the Sinaloa state Attorney General. (AP Photo/Christiann Davis)

MAZATLAN, Mexico — A Mexican man charged in the brutal beating of a Calgary woman has admitted his guilt in the resort town where the incident took place.
Jose Ramon Acosta Quintero says he tried to hold Sheila Nabb in a hotel elevator and punched her several times when she yelled for help.
Quintero, also known as "El Ray," appeared before reporters at a press conference in the Pacific town of Mazatlan Saturday under heavy guard.
He says he sneaked into the upscale Hotel Riu Emerald Bay early in the morning of Jan. 20 and met Nabb by chance.
Thirty-seven-year-old Nabb, who was vacationing with her husband, was found lying in a pool of blood in one of the resort's elevators.
Sinaloa state prosecutor Marco Antonio Higuera Gomez says Quintero had been drinking and using drugs.
Prosecutors have said Quintero was seen on a hotel security camera as he left the elevator.
Authorities say they're also trying to find out if he was involved in other attacks on tourists.
The attack on Nabb broke several bones in her face and she will undergo facial reconstruction surgery.
Her jaw has been wired shut and she was in a medically induced coma for a couple of days in Mexico. She also had pneumonia.
Nabb was brought back to Calgary on Friday in a private air ambulance jet and was taken to a hospital in the city she and her husband call home.