Rick Halperin
2018-09-16 17:48:31 UTC
September 16
TEXAS:
BP agent named as suspect in slaying of 4 women
A Border Patrol agent was arrested Saturday in connection with the slaying of 4
prostitutes in Webb County.
Law enforcement said the suspect, 35-year-old Juan David Ortiz, an intel
supervisor, has been with Border Patrol for 10 years. Charges against him were
still pending as of Saturday afternoon.
"We have probable cause to believe that he is responsible for this series of
murders, which I would qualify as a serial murderer," said Isidro Alaniz, Webb
County district attorney.
The Webb County Sheriff's Office said Ortiz confessed to killing all four
victims and kidnapping another woman. The woman he allegedly kidnapped escaped
and helped authorities find him, said Eduardo Chapa, Sheriff's Office
spokesman.
Alaniz said Ortiz may face 4 counts of murder and 1 count of aggravated
kidnapping. The motive behind the killings is unclear, but Alaniz said that,
according to statements that Ortiz gave law enforcement, all four victims were
prostitutes.
DPS troopers apprehended Ortiz at about 2 a.m. Saturday after law enforcement
received information that he had allegedly tried to kidnap a woman. Troopers
confronted him at a gas station on Jefferson Street, but he took off running to
the nearby Hotel Ava, located in central Laredo, just off Interstate 35, Alaniz
said.
Ortiz was found in the parking area of the hotel hiding in a truck. He was
arrested without incident, Alaniz said.
"The county, the city can rest assured we have the serial killer in custody,"
said Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar.
Cuellar added that he believes Ortiz acted alone.
The Texas Rangers, which is spearheading the investigation, declined to
comment. DPS Sgt. Erick Estrada said Saturday morning that they are not
disclosing any new information about the case.
All 4 victims were found during the past 2 weeks in a rural, unpopulated area
of Webb County.
The Rangers began investigating on Sept. 4 after the Sheriff's Office received
a report of the discovery of a body in the 300 block of Jefferies Road, near
the intersection with Texas Highway 255, otherwise known as Camino Colombia
Road. She was identified as Melissa Ramirez, 29, of Laredo.
DPS did not disclose how she died but said it was a homicide. According to her
obituary, Ramirez was a mother of two.
The 2nd victim, 42-year-old Claudine Anne Luera, died Thursday. At about 7:30
a.m. that day, a concerned citizen reported to the Sheriff's Office the
discovery of a woman who appeared to have been assaulted. She was found fatally
wounded off the roadway near mile marker 436 of Texas 255, about ??? mile east
of North U.S. 83. This is close to where Ramirez's body was discovered.
Paramedics rushed Luera to a local hospital in critical condition. She was
later declared dead.
DPS has only said that Luera had head trauma.
The 3rd body was found Friday night near North U.S. 83 and I-35. The 4th was
discovered Saturday afternoon, following Ortiz's apprehension, near mile marker
14 of I-35, several miles south of North U.S. 83. Their identities have not
been released and it was not immediately clear what led law enforcement to
discover their bodies.
Alaniz, the district attorney, said the cause of death was similar in each
homicide.
In a statement, Andrew Meehan, assistant commissioner for public affairs for
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said his agency's Office of Professional
Responsibility, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security
Office of the Inspector General are fully cooperating with all investigators.
"Our sincerest condolences go out to the victims' family and friends. While it
is CBP policy to not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation,
criminal action by our employees is not, and will not be tolerated," Meehan
said.
In a statement issued Saturday night, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said
"establishing and maintaining high standards for Border Patrol agents is a top
priority" for his office.
"We have advocated for and implemented new standards during the hiring process
as well as new standards of professionalism after joining Border Patrol," the
statement reads. "Just this afternoon I spoke with CBP Commissioner Kevin
McAleenan to talk about the situation in Laredo. We have agreed to work
together on the hiring and professionalism of border patrol agents.
"We spoke about how more steps need to be taken to make certain that people who
want to become Border Patrol agents receive the appropriate psychological
screening to ensure that no person who is capable of these type of actions is
allowed to join or remain in the ranks. We also spoke about hiring more
Professional Responsibility officers so that they can police their own."
Cuellar noted in his statement that this is the 2nd case this year that a
Border Patrol agent in Laredo has been accused of homicide. In April,
supervisory Border Patrol agent Ronald Anthony Burgos-Aviles, 29, was accused
of killing his alleged 27-year-old lover and the couple's 1-year-old child. He
has since been indicted on 2 counts of capital murder.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
(source: Associated Press)
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TEXAS:
BP agent named as suspect in slaying of 4 women
A Border Patrol agent was arrested Saturday in connection with the slaying of 4
prostitutes in Webb County.
Law enforcement said the suspect, 35-year-old Juan David Ortiz, an intel
supervisor, has been with Border Patrol for 10 years. Charges against him were
still pending as of Saturday afternoon.
"We have probable cause to believe that he is responsible for this series of
murders, which I would qualify as a serial murderer," said Isidro Alaniz, Webb
County district attorney.
The Webb County Sheriff's Office said Ortiz confessed to killing all four
victims and kidnapping another woman. The woman he allegedly kidnapped escaped
and helped authorities find him, said Eduardo Chapa, Sheriff's Office
spokesman.
Alaniz said Ortiz may face 4 counts of murder and 1 count of aggravated
kidnapping. The motive behind the killings is unclear, but Alaniz said that,
according to statements that Ortiz gave law enforcement, all four victims were
prostitutes.
DPS troopers apprehended Ortiz at about 2 a.m. Saturday after law enforcement
received information that he had allegedly tried to kidnap a woman. Troopers
confronted him at a gas station on Jefferson Street, but he took off running to
the nearby Hotel Ava, located in central Laredo, just off Interstate 35, Alaniz
said.
Ortiz was found in the parking area of the hotel hiding in a truck. He was
arrested without incident, Alaniz said.
"The county, the city can rest assured we have the serial killer in custody,"
said Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar.
Cuellar added that he believes Ortiz acted alone.
The Texas Rangers, which is spearheading the investigation, declined to
comment. DPS Sgt. Erick Estrada said Saturday morning that they are not
disclosing any new information about the case.
All 4 victims were found during the past 2 weeks in a rural, unpopulated area
of Webb County.
The Rangers began investigating on Sept. 4 after the Sheriff's Office received
a report of the discovery of a body in the 300 block of Jefferies Road, near
the intersection with Texas Highway 255, otherwise known as Camino Colombia
Road. She was identified as Melissa Ramirez, 29, of Laredo.
DPS did not disclose how she died but said it was a homicide. According to her
obituary, Ramirez was a mother of two.
The 2nd victim, 42-year-old Claudine Anne Luera, died Thursday. At about 7:30
a.m. that day, a concerned citizen reported to the Sheriff's Office the
discovery of a woman who appeared to have been assaulted. She was found fatally
wounded off the roadway near mile marker 436 of Texas 255, about ??? mile east
of North U.S. 83. This is close to where Ramirez's body was discovered.
Paramedics rushed Luera to a local hospital in critical condition. She was
later declared dead.
DPS has only said that Luera had head trauma.
The 3rd body was found Friday night near North U.S. 83 and I-35. The 4th was
discovered Saturday afternoon, following Ortiz's apprehension, near mile marker
14 of I-35, several miles south of North U.S. 83. Their identities have not
been released and it was not immediately clear what led law enforcement to
discover their bodies.
Alaniz, the district attorney, said the cause of death was similar in each
homicide.
In a statement, Andrew Meehan, assistant commissioner for public affairs for
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said his agency's Office of Professional
Responsibility, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security
Office of the Inspector General are fully cooperating with all investigators.
"Our sincerest condolences go out to the victims' family and friends. While it
is CBP policy to not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation,
criminal action by our employees is not, and will not be tolerated," Meehan
said.
In a statement issued Saturday night, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said
"establishing and maintaining high standards for Border Patrol agents is a top
priority" for his office.
"We have advocated for and implemented new standards during the hiring process
as well as new standards of professionalism after joining Border Patrol," the
statement reads. "Just this afternoon I spoke with CBP Commissioner Kevin
McAleenan to talk about the situation in Laredo. We have agreed to work
together on the hiring and professionalism of border patrol agents.
"We spoke about how more steps need to be taken to make certain that people who
want to become Border Patrol agents receive the appropriate psychological
screening to ensure that no person who is capable of these type of actions is
allowed to join or remain in the ranks. We also spoke about hiring more
Professional Responsibility officers so that they can police their own."
Cuellar noted in his statement that this is the 2nd case this year that a
Border Patrol agent in Laredo has been accused of homicide. In April,
supervisory Border Patrol agent Ronald Anthony Burgos-Aviles, 29, was accused
of killing his alleged 27-year-old lover and the couple's 1-year-old child. He
has since been indicted on 2 counts of capital murder.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
(source: Associated Press)
_______________________________________________
A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu
DeathPenalty mailing list
***@lists.washlaw.edu
http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty
Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty