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Through his lover Sylvia Ageloff's access to the Coyoacán house, Mercader, as Jacson, began to meet with Trotsky personally, posing as a sympathizer to his ideas, befriending his guards and doing small favors.<ref>[http://www.marxist.com/trotsky-assassination-esteban-volkov210806.htm "The fight of the Trotsky family - interview with Esteban Volkov" (1988)], In Defence Of Marxism website, 21 August 2006</ref>
On 20 August 1940, Mercader was alone with Trotsky in the exiled Russian's study, under the pretext of showing him a document. Mercader struck from behind and fatally wounded Trotsky on the head with an [[ice axe]] while the exiled Russian was looking at the document.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/07/11/mexico.trotsky.ap/index.html "Trotsky murder weapon may have been found"], CNN, 11 July 2005</ref>
The blow failed to kill Trotsky instantly; he got up and grappled with Mercader. Hearing the commotion, Trotsky's guards burst in the room and nearly beat Mercader to death, but Trotsky, heavily wounded but still conscious, ordered them to spare his attacker's life and let him speak.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2012/aug/20/trotsky-assassination-remembered-grandson-video "Trotsky's assassination remembered by his grandson"] by Deborah Bonello and Ole Alsaker,''[[The Guardian]]'', 20 August 2012</ref>
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