$2.5M bond for Border Patrol agent in killings of 4 in Texas
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
$2.5M bond for Border Patrol agent in killings of 4 in Texas
JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press 10 hours ago
Law enforcement officers gather near the scene where the body of a woman was found near Interstate 35 north of Laredo, Texas on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. A U.S. Border Patrol agent suspected of killing four women was arrested early Saturday after a fifth woman who had been abducted managed to escape from him and notify authorities, law enforcement officials said, describing the agent as a "serial killer." (Danny Zaragoza/The Laredo Morning Times via AP)HOUSTON (AP) — A U.S. Border Patrol supervisor was jailed Sunday on $2.5 million bond in Texas, accused of killing at least four women and injuring a fifth who managed to escape.
Juan David Ortiz, 35, was in custody in Laredo on four counts of murder along with charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful restraint, Webb County jail records showed.
Ortiz was arrested a day earlier, after being found hiding in a truck in a hotel parking lot in Laredo, at about 2 a.m. Saturday, capping what investigators portrayed as a 10-day string of violence. Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said Saturday that investigators "consider this to be a serial killer" whose victims were believed to be prostitutes.
Alaniz described how the Customs and Border Patrol supervisor continued going to work as usual throughout that time.
"As law enforcement was looking for the killer ... he would be reporting to work every day like normal," he said.
It all began with the discovery Sept. 4 of the body of 29-year-old Melissa Ramirez. According to a police affidavit , Ortiz said he killed Ramirez a day earlier. Like the other victims, Ramirez was shot in the head and left in a road in rural northwest Webb County.
She was a mother of two.
A second victim, 42-year-old Claudine Anne Luera, was found shot and left in the road Thursday morning, badly injured but still alive, according to the affidavit.
The mother of five died at a hospital later that day.
On Friday, according to the affidavit, Ortiz picked up a woman named Erika Pena. She told police she struggled with Ortiz inside his truck, where he pointed a pistol at her, but that she was able to flee. She made it to a gas station where she found a state trooper whom she asked for help.
According to the affidavit, Ortiz told investigators that after Pena ran off, he picked up his last two victims, whose identities have not yet been released by authorities.
Jail records don't list an attorney to speak for Ortiz, who had worked for Border Patrol for 10 years.
Alaniz said the dead are believed to have been prostitutes and that one of them was a transgender woman. At least two were U.S. citizens; the nationalities of the others were not known, he said. He said investigators are still working to determine a motive.
Ortiz was believed to have acted alone.
The federal agency issued a statement offering its "sincerest condolences" to the victims' families and saying criminal activity by its employees is not tolerated.
The Texas Department of Public Safety, whose Texas Rangers are investigating, referred questions on the case to the Webb County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Martin Cuellar did not return several messages seeking comment.
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Associated Press reporters Diana Heidgerd in Dallas and Matt Sedensky in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
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Sounds like he messed up trying to be 'Dexter'. Glad they caught him. If he wasn't a serial killer, he must have had some kind of psychotic break.
Buried? If this individual has been active before this as a serial killer, his victims would most likely have been found just as these victims were shot in the head and left on a rural road, tis the nature of the beast, yet a signature can be changed (perhaps Ortiz wanted to be finally recognized so change his MO?) - for 'most' serial killers their signature is the recognition they desire … at this point this Ortiz person is a serial killer based on numbers .. he may have never murdered before now - the thought process has most likely always been present .. yet perhaps it had never been triggered before now....
well this woman is brave for taking that chance. but if she didnt this guy has the perfect cover almost.
I am not sure based on some of the information that he really was a smart killer but he had all the other elements to get away with a lot more killings.
I just cant imagine how some folks feel knowing this guy was this capable.