[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS

[Rick Halperin]

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)