Becoming a journalist in Mexico is not an easy path to take as it brings one closer to the grave, such as the tragic end of acclaimed Mexican journalist Javier Valdez Cardenas.

On Thursday, one of Valdez's murderers was convicted in a Mexican court trial, according to RTL Today.

The federal court in Culiacán, the capital of the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa, sentenced Heriberto, alias "El Koala," to 14 years and eight months in prison. Said verdict was a result of an abbreviated trial, similar to a plea bargain, in which El Koala assumed responsibility for his role in the murder of Valdez.

The persecution said El Koala had served as a driver for two men, Juan Francisco Picos Barrueto and Luis Idelfonso Sanchez, who shot Valdez outside his office in the northwestern city of Cualiacan in May 2017.

Valdez, 50, was the co-founder of the weekly newspaper Riodoce, and a contributor to global news agency, AFP. He considered was one of the most prominent chroniclers of Mexico's deadly drug war in Sinaloa, the state where notorious kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman once reigned.

Valdez legacy includes the books he authored tackling the horrifying history of illegal drug trade in Mexico. One of which is Malayerba, a fragmented chronicle of the violence of drug trafficking in northern Mexico and how it appears parallel to everyday life and language in the area.

Valdez also wrote The Taken: True Stories of the Sinaloa Drug War, that delves into the broader armed conflict in Mexico and explains the unique role of Sinaloa as its epicenter. The book includes reports on border politics and infamous drug traffickers as well as the victims' suffering, ensuring their stories would not be forgotten or suppressed.

The public prosecutor's office ordered El Koala to pay 9 million pesos ($460,000) to the journalist's family, the sum will be covered by the Executive Commission for Victim Assistance (CEAV), a branch of the interior ministry.

According to the persecution, the assassination was ordered by the son of a drug trafficker, Damaso Lopez Serrano, who was often the subject of criticism by Valdez's Riodoce.

Lopez Serrano allegedly paid the perpetrators 100,000 pesos and supplied their weapons, but he has always denied the claims.

Juan Francisco Picos Barrueto, who was the main perpetrator in the killing, refused to plead guilty in exchange for a sentence of 20 years and eight months in prison. He will be tried in March.

Valdez's murder sparked international condemnation.

Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide, was present at the trial and welcomed the conviction of El Koala.

"The conviction of 'El Koala' is a welcome step forward in the murder of one of Mexico's most valiant and independent critical voices - a case that has languished with no justice for far too long," said Jan-Albert Hootsen, Mexico's CPJ Representative. "However, Mexican authorities must do everything in their power to bring all those involved to court, both to serve justice for Javier Valdez and as the only hope of curbing rampant impunity in journalist murders."

In 2011, Valdez was a recipient of CPJ's International Press Freedom Award

In 2019, Mexico has surpassed Syria to become the deadliest country for journalists, according to the CPJ.

Homicide rates in Mexico have hit record levels last year, averaging nearly 100 a day from January through June, according to official data. Most of these cases are never solved.

"As long as there is not a credible fight against impunity these murders against journalists are not going to stop," says Sara Lidia Mendiola, who runs a legal advocacy organization for journalists called Propuesta Cívica. According to Mendiola, an estimated 99% of all journalist homicide cases go unpunished.

Javier Valdez Cardenas may just be one of the many journalists being slain in Mexico every year, but his death proves that standing up for what is right has its price.