A grand jury in Webb County, Texas, returned a capital murder indictment against a Laredo Sector Border Patrol agent accused of killing four sex workers in September. The district attorney said he will seek the death penalty.
Webb County District Attorney Isidro “Chilo” Alaniz announced the grand jury indictment of Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Juan David Ortiz on Wednesday. The DA is seeking the death penalty in the case where the suspect has already allegedly confessed to the killings, the Laredo Morning Times reported.
Ortiz allegedly killed four women in September. It appears that all four of the women, including one transgendered female, are said to be linked to the sex industry, Breitbart News reported.
The killing spree allegedly began on September when Ortiz said he drove 29-year-old Melissa Ramirez to a location near Camino Colombia. He said he got the woman out of this truck and then shot her in the head multiple times.
Ortiz’s alleged killing spree came to an end after one of his intended victims managed to escape and contact a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper. Ortiz managed to kill two more people before police finally took him into custody early on the morning of September 15, according to court records.
Court records state that Ortiz confessed to the killings and the attempted murder.
The Laredo newspaper reported that Ortiz has remained in custody in the Webb County jail since his arrest. His initial charges included four counts of murder and a charge of aggravated assault and unlawful restraint for his alleged attack on the fifth woman.
The four deceased victims have been identified as Melissa Ramirez, 29, on Sept. 3; Claudine Ann Luera, 42, on Sept. 6; and Guiselda Alicia Hernández, 35, and Nikki Enriquez, 28, the local newspaper reported. All four died in the same area of Webb County and were all allegedly shot in the head.
The news outlet reported that Ortiz was allegedly off-duty at the time of the killings. It is believed he may have used his service weapon in the killings, authorities stated.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Border/Cartel Chronicles. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.
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