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Thread: Juan David Ortiz Sentenced to LWOP in 2018 TX Prostitute Slayings

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    Juan David Ortiz Sentenced to LWOP in 2018 TX Prostitute Slayings




    Sheriff: US border patrol agent suspected of killing 4 women


    LAREDO, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in Texas has been arrested on suspicion of having killed four women and abducted a fifth.

    Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said at a news conference that the agent, Juan David Ortiz, was arrested early Saturday morning.


    The county’s district attorney, Isidro Alaniz, says authorities were led to Ortiz after a woman he tried to kidnap escaped from him. Ortiz fled from state troopers and hid in the parking lot of a Laredo hotel, where he was arrested.


    Alaniz says authorities are still trying to determine a motive for the killings. He says all the women worked as prostitutes.

    https://apnews.com/ed8856ad6a1847718ce5c9cbd2aa56c3
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    BP agent named as suspect in slaying of four women

    By LMT Online

    A Border Patrol agent has been taken into custody in connection with the slaying of four women in Webb County.

    He was identified as Juan David Ortiz. Law enforcement said he has been with Border Patrol for 10 years. Charges against him were still pending as of mid-Saturday afternoon.

    The case broke open Friday when Ortiz allegedly kidnapped a woman, who ended up escaping, law enforcement said.

    "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.

    Alaniz said Ortiz is potentially facing four charges of murder and one count of aggravated kidnapping.

    Law enforcement discovered a fourth body Saturday afternoon near mile marker 14 of Interstate 35. The third body was found Friday night in rural northwest Webb County, the same area where two other women were discovered earlier this month.

    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.

    The Rangers, in cooperation with the Sheriff's Office, launched an investigation after Melissa Ramirez, 29, of Laredo, was found slain on Sept. 4. Her body was found in the 300 block of Jefferies Road, near the intersection with Camino Colombia. DPS has not disclosed her cause of death.

    On Thursday, a 42-year-old woman, Claudine Anne Luera, was found fatally wounded off the roadway near mile marker 436 of Texas Highway 255, about ½ mile east of 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.

    In a statement released at about 1:30 p.m. Saturday, LPD said it is offering its support in the case.

    "We want to reassure the citizens of Laredo that the community and your families are safe," the statement reads. "There has been a recent breakthrough in the investigations and there has been someone detained. That information belongs to the corresponding agencies who are handling the information and will make a more in depth release at the appropriate time. We value the release of timely information and we are making this notice public in order to remove any unnecessary fear in the community.

    "There will be information made available very soon by those agencies who are in charge of the case. (In the) meantime we maintain our city's safety and security and our responsibility to make you feel safe as well."

    This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

    https://www.lmtonline.com/local/crim...m-85307-tbla-5
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Death penalty not ruled out for Texas border patrol agent accused of killing 4 women

    By Rahul Kalvapalle
    Global News

    A U.S. Border Patrol agent charged with killing four women and abducting a fifth may face the death penalty — if the evidence stacks up.

    There was a clear pattern to the murders allegedly committed by Juan David Ortiz - he took each of the women out to desolate areas near or just outside the limits of the city of Laredo, Texas, before allegedly killing them using a handgun, according to Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz.

    Authorities said Ortiz knew the women — all believed to be sex workers — and targeted them for their vulnerability, amid fears of more deaths at his hands remaining undiscovered.

    Alaniz didn’t rule out prosecutors pursuing the death penalty for Ortiz, although he said it’s too early to tell because the crime is still being investigated and evidence compiled.

    “At the appropriate time, we will make the decision on what final charges Ortiz will be facing,” Alaniz said. “There is a possibility that we will elect — if the evidence supports — to charge capital murder, and then the decision will be made if it will be capital murder non-death or capital murder seeking the death penalty.”

    Ortiz is currently being held on $2.5 million bond, although Alaniz said the bond option will be rescinded if evidence supports a death penalty prosecution.

    Ortiz, 35, amassed weapons at his home in anticipation of a possible confrontation with police, authorities said.

    When officers did try to apprehend him, he fled to a nearby parking lot before brandishing his cellphone like a weapon in the hopes of being shot, but he was captured without incident around 2 a.m. Saturday.

    According to affidavits, Ortiz confessed to the killings after he was taken into custody on Saturday. Authorities are still trying to ascertain what sparked the suspected 10-day killing spree.

    Ortiz served in the U.S. Navy for nearly eight years before being hired by Border Patrol. The law enforcement agency said there was nothing in his background to suggest he was capable of murder.

    — With files from the Associated Press

    https://globalnews.ca/news/4459108/j...death-penalty/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Edited:

    Alleged Border-Patrol Serial Killer’s Third Victim ID’d as Trans Sex Worker

    Though Janelle Ortiz was allegedly targeted by Juan Oritz because of her profession instead of her gender, it’s still important to respect her chosen name after her death

    By Lily Dancyger
    Rolling Stone

    The third of four victims allegedly killed by Border Patrol agent Juan David Ortiz, who authorities are calling a serial killer, has been identified as 28-year-old transgender woman Janelle Ortiz. Though they share the same last name, she was not related to her killer.

    Janelle was one of two victims authorities believe were killed just hours after a fifth victim, Erika Pena, escaped and gave a description to police, and before Ortiz was apprehended.

    Webb County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Fred Garza identified Janelle as the third victim at a news briefing on Saturday, using her birth name, or what’s known in the trans community as her “deadname.” Several publications have followed suit. GLAAD has published guidelines for reporting involving trans people who have been the victims of violence, urging reporters not to do this. “Disregarding the victim’s gender identity and misgendering them in news reports adds insult to injury, compounding the tragedy by invalidating the person’s lived reality,” they write.

    All five of Ortiz’s victims, including the woman who escaped and led authorities to him, were sex workers, some of whom Ortiz knew personally. Ortiz told authorities his goal was to “eradicate all the prostitutes,” and it appears he would befriend them to gain their trust before driving them to remote areas and shooting them. Ortiz has confessed to his crimes and been charged with four counts of murder, one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of unlawful restraint. He has not yet pleaded to the charges.

    Garza said in a press conference Monday that Ortiz attempted to commit “suicide by cop,” when he was apprehended, positioning himself in a parking lot and hoping authorities would think the cellphone he had on him was a gun and shoot him. He was apprehended without incident.

    Graza also said that it’s unclear whether Ortiz used government resources to track his victims, though Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina told reporters that Ortiz used the information he had access to through his job to monitor the ongoing investigation and avoid arrest.

    https://www.rollingstone.com/culture...killer-725660/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Laredo Residents React To ‘Serial Killings’ On The Border

    By JOEY PALACIOS
    Texas Public Radio

    U.S. Border Patrol agent Juan David Ortiz has confessed to killing four people and is currently in jail being held on a $2.5 million bond. Citizens in Laredo reflect about the crimes and about Ortiz, who authorities call a serial killer.

    The shops in downtown Laredo are a few blocks away from the border. Residents here like Miguel Sanchez, who works in a T-shirt printing shop, are still in disbelief.

    “It was shocking. You don’t really hear that type of story here in Laredo often,” he said.

    Carla Provost, the national chief of the Border Patrol, says she wants to make clear that the actions of Ortiz aren’t a reflection of the entire force.

    “These are horrific crimes, and this was one rogue individual,” Provost said.

    Provost came from Washington D.C. to talk with the 6,000 members of the border patrol sector in South Texas after the arrest. Border patrol officials said there were no previous instances of misconduct in Ortiz’s records.

    “(There was) nothing in his background that would have alerted CBP or have indicated that Mr. Ortiz was capable of anything like this. Nothing disciplinary,” said Juan Benavides, a special agent in charge for the Border Patrol's office of professional responsibility.

    Ortiz isn’t the first border patrol agent to be arrested for murder in Laredo. Last year, agent Ronald Anthony Burgos-Aviles was arrested for killing a woman and her 1-year-old son.

    Near the downtown bus station, Laredo resident Alfredo Trinidad says the Border Patrol needs to look inward.

    “They have to take real serious this problem,” he said. “They have to check those workers. They have to do something,”

    The Border Patrol still has the support of resident Mary Helen Rojas Espina. She said the actions of one don’t represent all agents.

    “There’s good people amongst them, right? People shouldn’t be judgmental in that you blame all of them for what he did,” she said in Spanish.

    Investigators are determining if Ortiz’s charges should be upgraded to capital murder.

    At the Webb County Sheriff’s office, Chief Federico Garza provided a timeline of Ortiz’s murders.

    “All the victims were defenseless, and at one point he was able to gain their trust and then viciously shot them,” Garza said.

    Melissa Ramirez was killed on Sept. 3. Claudine Luera on Sept. 13. Humberto Ortiz and an unidentified person were killed Friday night or Saturday morning. Humberto Ortiz was transgender and identified as a woman, according to the Webb County District Attorney’s office. The last victim’s identity was withheld pending notification of family members.

    All four victims were shot in the head and left on the side of the highway. A fifth woman escaped from Ortiz Friday night and alerted police. Ortiz was arrested at a hotel.

    “What he was trying to do was, he was trying to commit suicide by cop. He was going to try to use his phone to make it look like a weapon,” Garza said.

    Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz says Ortiz knew his victims through the sex worker and drug use communities and had been in contact with them several times.

    “People want to know why did he do this, and we are seeking to try to put the pieces together to try to figure out why and how come he targeted this certain community within Laredo,” Alaniz said.

    http://www.tpr.org/post/laredo-resid...illings-border
    In the Shadow of Your Wings
    1 A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Authorities in Laredo release details about 'serial killings'

    By Eleanor Dearman,
    Corpus Christi Caller Times

    LAREDO - U.S. Border Patrol agent Juan David Ortiz carried out the murders of four women he targeted in a "cold and callous way," Webb County District Attorney Isidro R. “Chilo” Alaniz said.

    "There was common scheme ... there was a certain community or a group of people that he was seeking out," Alaniz told a crowded room of reporters at a news conference Monday at the Webb County Sheriff's Office.

    "Unfortunately, this is a community of people that are vulnerable, whether it be because of alcohol, substance abuse, drug addiction or prostitution," he continued.

    The arrest of a veteran Border Patrol agent as a serial murder suspect in the shooting deaths of four women occurred Saturday in the border community.

    Ortiz, a 10-year veteran of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, was being held on four counts of murder, as well as one count each of evading arrest or detention, unlawful restraint — expose to serious bodily injury, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to online jail records.

    His bond was set at $2.5 million. Alaniz said prosecutors have not yet decided if the case will be upgraded to capital murder. He did not disclose a motive for the killings.

    A representative from the Webb County Sheriff's office walked through the timeline surrounding the killings. He also identified one of the victims as Humberto Ortiz, 28.

    The district attorney confirmed that the victim is a transgender woman; she identified herself on social media as Nikki Enriquez.

    The fourth victim's name was not made public since family members had not yet been notified.

    Police say they found the bodies of four people who had each been shot to death over a 10-day period.

    On Sept. 3, Melissa Ramirez, 29, was killed after Juan David Ortiz picked her up on San Bernardo Avenue in Laredo. He drove to the city limits and shot her multiple times in the head, a criminal complaint states.

    Authorities identified Claudine Ann Luera, 42, as another victim in the serial killing spree. Her body was discovered on a roadside by a truck driver on Sept. 13. She died at a local hospital later.

    Luera's niece said through social media her family has been hurt and offended by references from authorities and the media describing her aunt as a sex worker.

    "She was a mother, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a niece, a cousin, and a friend," wrote Karina Ramos in an emotional Facebook post on Monday. "Most of all SHE WAS LOVED. She was murdered by a monster who murdered 3 others, luckily the 5th woman got away."

    "The fact that there’s a 'serial killer' in a small Texas town is big news, and the one thing all the articles mention is the victims were PROSTITUTES," writes Ramos. "As if that makes her less of a victim. As if that makes him less of a monster. As if she deserved what she got. As if it makes any difference at all. Her name was Claudine Anne Luera and let me repeat myself: SHE WAS LOVED."

    Ramos said her aunt was the daughter of "a beautiful Scottish mother and grumpy Mexican father."

    "She was the mother of 2 sets of twins and a hardworking, wonderful daughter," she said, noting two of Luera's children are autistic. "And we are a proud autism family full of love and support for them."

    Ramos said her aunt struggled with her drug addiction, but "when she was winning her fight against drug abuse, she was a wonderful thriving mother."

    "She held out as long as she could, but seemingly small bad decisions snowballed," said Ramos. "We don’t know why she fell off the wagon."

    Through Luera's ups and downs, however, her large extended family never stopped loving her, said Ramos.

    "We wished and prayed she’d overcome her demons and go back to who we knew she could be. But even when she lost everything because of her drug dependence, SHE WAS LOVED," Ramos wrote.

    On Monday, Webb County Chief Deputy Federico Garza said Ortiz knew his victims.

    “He had entrusted the victims to come along with him several times,” Garza said. “He entrusted them in that way. He knew the victims and the victims knew him. ”

    Alaniz said the current evidence indicates the victims would engage in either drug use or were sex workers.

    “There appears to be some history between Ortiz and this community,” Alaniz said. “That is what we’re looking at right now.”

    The sheriff added that Ortiz had a “dislike for the community the victims represented.”

    “He found himself in a situation that whatever anger he had inside of him, we don’t know yet,” Garza said.

    Prior to Ortiz's arrest, authorities were already working under the suspicion that the first two deaths were connected, he said.

    “We had an idea that there was a pattern in the murders, so we were identifying those things,” Garza said.

    Garza said deputies got a break in the case when a fifth person, a woman, managed to escape from Ortiz near a gas station. The person told authorities that Ortiz began acting oddly when they had a conversation about Ramirez's death.

    Investigators went to Ortiz's home but he was already gone. They arrested him early Saturday morning after SWAT team members found him hiding near a pickup truck at a nearby motel.

    https://www.caller.com/story/news/20...gs/1337891002/
    In the Shadow of Your Wings
    1 A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

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    Aunt of Laredo 'serial killer' survivor: She's 'pretty traumatized'

    By Tim Archuleta
    Corpus Christi Caller Times

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection intel supervisor Juan David Ortiz was no stranger to Erika Peña.

    Ortiz had picked up Peña in his white Dodge truck, offering to pay her $500 for sex and drove them to his house on Sept. 14.

    The 26-year-old knew he was a federal law enforcement officer, but she quickly sensed his anger when she asked about her murdered friend.

    "When they were at the house, she started a conversation," said Marcela Rodriguez, Peña's aunt. "'Did you know that Melissa (Ramirez) was killed?'"

    “His attitude started to change. She told me that he stood in back of her and she felt a rush run from her feet to her head. She started to get sick. She told him I need to go outside to vomit," Rodriguez added.

    After Ortiz cleaned up the mess, Peña persuaded him to get back in his pickup with her to go "for a cruise." They stopped near a gas station and he put a gun to her chest, Rodriguez said.

    But Peña broke free from his grasp and ran off where she found a state trooper.

    "She was screaming for help, saying a man was trying to kill her," Rodriguez said.

    Rodriguez shared details Wednesday of her niece's harrowing encounter with Ortiz, who is accused of killing four women, to provide a glimpse into Peña's ongoing emotional trauma.

    The ordeal has left her niece broken, unable to even take a shower and frightened for her safety.

    It's important, Rodriguez said, for the public to understand that Peña is a victim, too.

    Authorities at a press conference earlier this week said Peña's escape from Ortiz broke the serial murder case open. She was able to lead police to Ortiz's house. After the border patrol agent's arrest and alleged confession to a pair of murders, Ortiz told investigators about two other victims.

    Authorities say Ortiz in total has confessed to killing Melissa Ramirez, 29; Claudine Ann Luera, 42; Nikki Enriquez aka Humberto Oriz, 28; and Guiselda Alicia Cantu, 35.

    All died between Sept. 3 and Sept. 15, their bodies found within miles of one another outside the Laredo city limits.

    "She doesn’t want people to see her as a hero," Rodriguez said. "We want the (community) to see her as another victim who escaped. That she is alive ... It’s sad to see her now. The way she is. She is pretty traumatized."

    Rodriguez has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to pay for Peña's medical care and legal expenses. As of Wednesday, more than $4,200 of a $20,000 goal had been raised.

    Rodriguez is planning later Wednesday afternoon to pick up her niece and take her to a local health clinic to see a doctor. She says Peña, a mother to a 5-year-old daughter, needs psychological care.

    "I want the community to know that she really needs the help," Rodriguez said. "All her family is devastated to see how she is doing now. She thinks this guy is coming for her. We told her he is not going to come."

    Ortiz remained jailed and his bail is set at $2.5 million.

    The aunt said that Peña told her that she and the four women weren't strangers to Ortiz.

    "They all knew this guy and they knew he was a Border Patrol (agent)," she said. "He would hire them."

    https://www.caller.com/story/news/lo...en/1359013002/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  8. #8
    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Texas border agent accused of killing 4 under suicide watch

    Officials say Juan David Ortiz is under watch due to the nature of the crime and as a precaution with inmates facing similar types of charges


    By Cesar Rodriguez
    Laredo Morning Times

    LAREDO, Texas — Thinking that law enforcement would zero in on him after a woman escaped from his vehicle, suspected serial killer and U.S. Border Patrol agent Juan David Ortiz went to his north Laredo home to load up several weapons into his white Dodge pickup, said Webb County Sheriff's Office Chief Fred Garza during a news conference Monday.

    Ortiz could have been anticipating a shootout with authorities, Garza said. But Ortiz happened to be using the restroom when law enforcement spotted his vehicle early Saturday at the Valero gas station at 2701 San Bernardo Ave.

    "The perpetrator made a mistake and law enforcement capitalized on it," the chief said.

    Texas troopers, who were already on the lookout for Ortiz and his vehicle, tried to confront him at the gas station. But Ortiz ran and evaded a trooper who tried to tase him, according to Garza.

    Authorities found him soon thereafter hiding in the parking garage of the nearby Hotel Ava, located at San Bernardo and Garden Street.

    "He was going to try to commit suicide by cop. He tried to use his phone to make it look like a weapon," Garza said.

    Ortiz was arrested without incident. He is currently under suicide watch due to the nature of the crime and as a precaution with inmates facing similar types of charges, according to the Sheriff's Office. He is being held on a $2.5 million bond. He was charged Saturday night with four counts of murder as well as aggravated assault, unlawful restraint and evading arrest.

    Following his arrest, authorities said he confessed to the killing of four sex workers between Sept. 3 and Sept. 15. According to arrest affidavits, Ortiz would pick up the victims on San Bernardo Avenue, drive them outside city limits and shoot them in the head. He was not on duty and wore civilian clothes during the killings.

    The first victim, Melissa Ramirez, 29, was killed Sept. 3. The second, Claudine Ann Luera, 42, was killed Sept. 13. Authorities said he fatally shot two others in the hours after the woman escaped from his vehicle on Friday night.

    One of those victims was identified Monday as Humberto Ortiz, 28. The transgender woman was found dead Saturday afternoon on mile marker 15 on Interstate 35. The fourth person who has not been identified was found at the underpass on mile marker 21 on I-35, Garza said.

    According to authorities, Ortiz knew the victims and targeted them for their vulnerability. Investigators didn't detail Ortiz's history with the women.

    "He had the trust of most of the victims that were involved in this killing," Garza said. "So he took that opportunity to commit this crime."

    Garza said Ortiz "mentioned the dislike for the community ... the victims represented" — presumably a reference to a comment made under police questioning. But even as additional details of Ortiz's alleged crimes trickled out, authorities were still scouring for clues that would give a better understanding of what motivated the killings.

    "The question that's out there is, why would he do this?" Webb County District Attorney Isidro R. "Chilo" Alaniz said. "And that's part of our mission right now. Why? It's difficult to get into the mind of a killer.

    "Unfortunately, this is a community of people that are vulnerable because of alcohol, substance abuse, drug addiction or prostitution."

    Alaniz added, "The evidence that we have right now is that he committed these murders in similar fashion, taking these individuals ... near or right outside the city limits and executing them with a handgun."

    He also said, "Thanks to the victim that escaped, law enforcement got a break."

    As the case develops over the next 30 to 90 days, his office and collaborating agencies will decide whether to seek capital murder charges, Alaniz said.

    U.S. Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost, who attended Monday's news conference, said Ortiz has been placed on indefinite suspension.

    "These are horrific times. This was one rogue individual," Provost said.

    The men and women of the Border Patrol work diligently on a daily basis to help protect the communities they live in, she said.

    "I would hate for this to tarnish the great work those men and women do," Provost said. "I'm here to support my men and women. Obviously, it had an extreme impact on them. We cannot imagine the impact that this has had in the community. I'm sickened and saddened by the events that have occurred and I offer my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims."

    Garza said he was confident "the killings will stop" because they had nabbed the right suspect. But he was less sure that no other victims of Ortiz, who had worked for Border Patrol for a decade, would be discovered.

    "We're not confident of that," he said, but assured the public investigators were scouring Ortiz's history in case any other crimes may be linked.

    Fear of additional victims is particularly haunting for sex workers, including Christa Daring, executive director of Sex Workers Outreach Project-USA. Daring said the organization routinely hears stories of women preyed on by law enforcement officers and that it seemed plausible there were other victims of Ortiz.

    "Typically somebody who has this kind of access to really vulnerable populations is active for more than two weeks," Daring said.

    Victims' families echoed that concern.

    "I believe that it's just kind of like a small piece of it," said Alberto Luera, a second cousin of Luera, who was discovered shot on a rural roadside Thursday. "I would imagine that things are just going to keep showing up."

    Ortiz was believed to have acted alone. Jail records don't list an attorney for him.

    https://www.policeone.com/investigat...suicide-watch/
    In the Shadow of Your Wings
    1 A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Border Patrol misconduct stats point to Texas

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Border Patrol sector in Laredo, Texas — where two agents were accused this year of multiple murders in separate cases — disciplined employees more on average over two years than any other major sector, according to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Friday.

    The findings were part of a comprehensive look at misconduct at the 60,000-employee law enforcement agency that includes the Border Patrol. The data showed overall there was a decline in substantiated complaints of misconduct and fewer arrests of agents between the budget years 2016 and 2017.

    “The disciplinary reports show that the vast majority of CBP agents and officers exemplify our core values, perform their duties with integrity, and that every employee is accountable to upholding the high standards of professional conduct both on and off-duty,” said Melvin Harris, deputy assistant commissioner of human resources management at CBP.

    The data do not include 2018. But they showed the Laredo sector, one of the nation’s largest, was experiencing disciplinary issues even before the high-profile cases.

    According to the reports, there were 435 instances where an agent in Laredo was dismissed, suspended, demoted or given another form of discipline in the 2016 and 2017 budget years.

    The average rate of disciplinary actions in Laredo was 11.3 per 100 employees in the 2016 fiscal year and rose to 13 per 100 employees in 2017. In both years, Laredo was above the national average for those years, which was 8.1 and 7.4, respectively.

    Laredo had the second-highest rate of any sector in 2016, behind only Miami, a comparatively small sector with no land border to patrol.

    It had the highest rate of all sectors in 2017. It had almost the same number of disciplinary incidents that year as the neighbouring Rio Grande Valley sector, which is the nation’s busiest corridor for unauthorized crossings and has nearly twice as many employees.

    Last month, Laredo agent Juan David Ortiz was arrested and accused of targeting women believed to be prostitutes in what prosecutors say is the work of a serial killer. He has been accused of killing four women, and prosecutors say he likely used his service weapon in the crimes. Ortiz has not yet been indicted and his attorney didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

    And Ronald Anthony Burgos-Aviles, another supervisory agent, was arrested in April and charged with capital murder on allegations that he killed a 27-year-old woman with whom he was romantically involved, as well as their 1-year-old son. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Burgos-Aviles pleaded not guilty.

    Border Patrol officials have said the suspects were outliers who do not represent the agency or the sector.

    The same sector also drew attention in May after the Border Patrol changed its story about why an agent shot and killed a 19-year-old Guatemalan woman, Claudia Gomez Gonzalez, who had crossed the border near Laredo. Officials initially claimed the agent had been attacked “by multiple subjects using blunt objects,” only to revise that statement two days later and remove the claim.

    Customs and Border Protection is the largest U.S. law enforcement agency and is tasked with enforcing immigration and trade laws. The largest components are the Border Patrol, whose agents arrest people caught crossing the border illegally between ports of entry, and the Office of Field Operations, which manages the ports.

    The data released Friday are part of an overall effort by Customs and Border Protection to increase transparency and hold employees more accountable for misconduct following criticism over what some lawmakers and reform advocates said was a lack of oversight of agents and a culture that condoned abuse and misconduct.

    About 155 employees were removed during 2016 and 2017 over misconduct claims. Scores more retired. The reports do not specify what claims prompted the removals.

    About 250 employees were arrested on criminal charges during the budget year 2016 and 245 in 2017, for crimes including corruption, drugs and alcohol and sexual misconduct. Those numbers declined from 336 during 2012.

    Despite the decline, the arrests are a continued concern for the department, which is working to address the problem, according to the reports.

    Officers and agents are using deadly force less, and non-lethal force, like pepper spray, is also down dramatically. Officials say it’s due in part to revamped training on how and when to use force.

    https://ottawacitizen.com/pmn/news-p...8-8d51adbd5821
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  10. #10
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    Border Patrol Agent Accused in Killing of 4 Seeks Release

    By KRGV News

    LAREDO – The attorney for the Laredo Sector Border Patrol agent who authorities said confessed to four homicides is requesting a bond reduction.

    Juan David Ortiz’s attorney, Jose Salvador Tellez, submitted a writ of habeas corpus seeking bail reduction on Monday, Oct. 15.

    Ortiz is held on a combined $2.5 million bond after authorities said he confessed to killing four people in a span of two weeks.

    Telles stated they believe Ortiz’s detention is illegal because confinement and restraint without probable cause is a violation of his constitutional rights. The court document states the bond is excessive, oppressive and beyond what Ortiz can afford to pay.

    They also claim the form Ortiz is detained constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

    Ortiz stated in an affidavit that he had been confined in a padded cell for ten days since Sept. 15 in the Webb County Jail.

    He said he had been placed on suicide watch even though there haven’t been any attempts. On Sept. 25, he was moved to an isolation cell without a window and had a steel door instead of bars.

    He claims he hasn’t been able to wear clothes in his cell only a green Velcro vest. He also says he’s been deprived of going outdoors and from having access to things like utensils, hygiene products, towels, or wear eyeglasses.

    Tellez stated he has requested these conditions be altered, unsuccessfully.

    Ortiz is requesting an evidentiary hearing to request he be released based on what he feels is a lack of probable cause. During the hearing, Ortiz expects the state prosecutors to produce documents, evidence, witness lists, and any statement Ortiz made to law enforcement agents and to his attorney before the hearing.

    After such hearing, Ortiz is hoping to receive a reasonable bond he can pay to be released from incarceration.

    A hearing was granted and is scheduled to take place in Laredo’s 111th Judicial District Court on Oct. 17. There, the state is expected to show cause to continue detaining Ortiz.

    Ortiz remains on indefinite leave without pay, as per the agency.

    http://www.krgv.com/story/39289516/f...-seeks-release
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