By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
September 17, 2018
Laredo, Texas - On Monday, during a press conference, Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz called serial killer and U.S. Border Patrol intel supervisor Juan David Ortiz, 35, a cold blooded killer who targeted vulnerable and defenseless victims with very little credibility. Alaniz said that he hasn't decided to charge Ortiz with capital murder and the case is ongoing. Ortiz has confessed to fatally shooting the four victims including a transgender female.
At least one victim victim, Claudine Anne Luera, 42, was fatally shot on September 13th for accusing Ortiz of being the last person to be with Melissa Ramirez, 29, who was killed by Ortiz on September 4th. Alaniz confirmed that Ortiz admitted to fatally shooting all his victims and that he acted alone.
At least one victim victim, Claudine Anne Luera, 42, was fatally shot on September 13th for accusing Ortiz of being the last person to be with Melissa Ramirez, 29, who was killed by Ortiz on September 4th. Alaniz confirmed that Ortiz admitted to fatally shooting all his victims and that he acted alone.
Webb County Sheriff's Office Chief Fred Garza says, that Ortiz attempted to commit suicide by cop when authorities approached him to arrest him by holding a cellphone to make it look like he had a gun, but he was taken into custody without incident at the Hotel Ava's third floor parking lot.
Chief Carla Provost from the U.S. Border Patrol during the press conference also announced that Ortiz has been suspended indefinitely without pay, but refused to answer questions about why U.S. Border Patrol Agent Romauldo Barrera, 47, who fatally shot Claudia Patricia Gómez González, 20, an undocumented immigrant on May 23rd in Rio Bravo hasn't been officially identified in that case. A spokesman from the U.S.Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Professional Responsibility says that the Gonzalez's death in Rio Bravo on May 23rd is still an ongoing investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice and that the CBP is cooperating and that Barrera's name has not been officially released because the shooting incident happened while he was on his official capacity. Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) has released Barrera's name in the González murder.
All the deceased victims including Erika Peña who managed to escape from Ortiz on Friday around 9:00 p.m. were picked up between the 2700 to 4700 block of San Bernardo Ave., a known prostitution hub near downtown Laredo. The prostitution hub was first exposed in 1997 when a local news article identified the San Bernardo Ave. strip as a prostitution hub for men and women who sold sex favors for money. Law enforcement since 1997 have attempted to eliminate the prositution corridor by arresting female and male prostitutes including John's who pay for sex, but the corridor keeps expanding to downtown Laredo.
On Saturday, Ortiz, a 10 year veteran with the U.S. Border Patrol in the Laredo sector was booked and charged with 4 felony murder counts, cash bond set at $500,000 ($500K) for each count totalling $2M and one count each for unlawful restraint, cash bond set at $250K; aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, cash bond set at $250K and evading arrest, cash bond set at $3K involving four deceased women including a transgender female, according to the Webb County Sheriff's Office (WCSO). If convicted on all counts, especially capital murder, Ortiz is facing the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
Ortiz is an intel supervisor with the U.S. Border Patrol and is a former U.S. Navy veteran and has a Masters degree. He is also married and has children.
The WCSO says a two week investigation led to the discovery of 2 female bodies in a rural Webb County location and one body was located on Friday night and another body was found around noon on Saturday along Highway I-35 near mile marker 14 north of Laredo. Authorities were tipped off about the serial killer after a fifth female victim identified as Erika Peña who escaped abduction from the killer on Friday and identified Border Patrol Agent Ortiz as the suspected killer. Ortiz apparently pulled a gun on Peña and she escape from the vehicle and contacted the authorities.
D.A. Alaniz confirmed that Ortiz was taken into custody at 2:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Hotel Ava parking lot in the 800 block of Garden St. without incident. According to investigators, all the women that Ortiz targeted were prostitutes and were picked up between the 2700 to the 4700 block of San Bernardo Ave., a known prostitution hub near downtown Laredo. Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar says that a joint team effort by the Webb County Sheriff's Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety (State troopers), the Texas Rangers and the Webb County District Attorney's Office were involved in the serial homicides investigation. Sheriff Cuellar also believed that Ortiz acted alone.
Ortiz confessed to the murders according to an affidavit including fatally shooting one female and a transgender victim in the back of the head after telling them to get out of his vehicle, a White truck. Investigators are trying to determine the motive that led Ortiz to target prostitutes and murder them, then dumping and leaving their bodies in rural locations in Webb County. Two of the female victims have been identified as Melissa Ramirez, 29, of Laredo who was found deceased on September 4 at the 300 block of Jefferies Road near the intersection of Camino Colombia and Claudine Anne Luera, 42, whose body was found near mile marker of 436 on Texas Highway 255. Luera was found shot multiple times in the head and barely alive and was transported to a local hospital where she later died. Luera was killed on September 13 after she accused Ortiz of being the last person to be seen with Ramirez before she was found dead. Luera is survived by five children, which two are autistic. Ramirez is survived by two children, a 7-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy.
A transgender female. Humberto "Janelle" Ortiz, 28, was also fatally shot in the head by Ortiz. One deceased victim has not been identified by authorities.
Other homicides and deaths by U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Laredo sector:
• On June 27, 2018, Ronald Anthony Burgos-Aviles, 29, a supervisor with the U.S. Border Patrol in Laredo sector was charged with capital murder for the April 9th stabbing homicide of his girlfriend, Grizelda Hernandez, 27, and Dominic Alexander Hernandez, 1, their son whose throat was slashed by Burgos-Aviles. Burgos-Aviles was suspended indefinitely without pay from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
• On May 23, 2018, Romualdo Barrera, 47, a U.S. Border Patrol agent in the Laredo sector fatally shot Claudia Patricia Gómez González, 20, an undocumented immigrant originally from San Juan Ostuncalco, Guatemala. González was unarmed and running away from Barrera who fatally shot her behind the head in Rio Bravo, located in Webb County. The CBP hasn't officially released his name because he was involved in a shooting incident while on duty and the FBI has an ongoing investigation. The FBI and the CBP haven't determined whether to charge Barrera with a homicide. The Webb County Medical Examiner declared González death a homicide.
The WCSO says a two week investigation led to the discovery of 2 female bodies in a rural Webb County location and one body was located on Friday night and another body was found around noon on Saturday along Highway I-35 near mile marker 14 north of Laredo. Authorities were tipped off about the serial killer after a fifth female victim identified as Erika Peña who escaped abduction from the killer on Friday and identified Border Patrol Agent Ortiz as the suspected killer. Ortiz apparently pulled a gun on Peña and she escape from the vehicle and contacted the authorities.
D.A. Alaniz confirmed that Ortiz was taken into custody at 2:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Hotel Ava parking lot in the 800 block of Garden St. without incident. According to investigators, all the women that Ortiz targeted were prostitutes and were picked up between the 2700 to the 4700 block of San Bernardo Ave., a known prostitution hub near downtown Laredo. Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar says that a joint team effort by the Webb County Sheriff's Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety (State troopers), the Texas Rangers and the Webb County District Attorney's Office were involved in the serial homicides investigation. Sheriff Cuellar also believed that Ortiz acted alone.
Ortiz confessed to the murders according to an affidavit including fatally shooting one female and a transgender victim in the back of the head after telling them to get out of his vehicle, a White truck. Investigators are trying to determine the motive that led Ortiz to target prostitutes and murder them, then dumping and leaving their bodies in rural locations in Webb County. Two of the female victims have been identified as Melissa Ramirez, 29, of Laredo who was found deceased on September 4 at the 300 block of Jefferies Road near the intersection of Camino Colombia and Claudine Anne Luera, 42, whose body was found near mile marker of 436 on Texas Highway 255. Luera was found shot multiple times in the head and barely alive and was transported to a local hospital where she later died. Luera was killed on September 13 after she accused Ortiz of being the last person to be seen with Ramirez before she was found dead. Luera is survived by five children, which two are autistic. Ramirez is survived by two children, a 7-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy.
A transgender female. Humberto "Janelle" Ortiz, 28, was also fatally shot in the head by Ortiz. One deceased victim has not been identified by authorities.
Other homicides and deaths by U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Laredo sector:
• On June 27, 2018, Ronald Anthony Burgos-Aviles, 29, a supervisor with the U.S. Border Patrol in Laredo sector was charged with capital murder for the April 9th stabbing homicide of his girlfriend, Grizelda Hernandez, 27, and Dominic Alexander Hernandez, 1, their son whose throat was slashed by Burgos-Aviles. Burgos-Aviles was suspended indefinitely without pay from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
• On May 23, 2018, Romualdo Barrera, 47, a U.S. Border Patrol agent in the Laredo sector fatally shot Claudia Patricia Gómez González, 20, an undocumented immigrant originally from San Juan Ostuncalco, Guatemala. González was unarmed and running away from Barrera who fatally shot her behind the head in Rio Bravo, located in Webb County. The CBP hasn't officially released his name because he was involved in a shooting incident while on duty and the FBI has an ongoing investigation. The FBI and the CBP haven't determined whether to charge Barrera with a homicide. The Webb County Medical Examiner declared González death a homicide.
