Only hours after discovering the victims’ bodies, Emparan, the judge in charge, initiates investigations in the neighborhood around Dongo’s house and other sections of the central city. He also sends out an alert to New Spain’s local leaders, calling on judicial officials across the viceroyalty to participate in the search for the perpetrators. Their initial goal is to find witnesses who had observed any suspicious activities in the area. Secondly, the judge sought to determine the provenance of the still-unknown murderers’ weapons. Emparan’s interrogations allow him to create a timeline of events leading up to the Dongo massacre. These initial efforts do not provide the clues necessary to solve the case. However, as gossip spread throughout the city and the court works hard to find the perpetrators, Emparan’s rapid actions encourage Mexico City residents to carefully observe anything unusual that they witness in the days after the crime. As a result, Emparan ascertains and arrests the perpetrators within a few days. The entire process proves the effectiveness of the Novohispanic judiciary.