Juan David Ortiz: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 03:49, 27 October 2018
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, and overuse of "reportedly"/"allegedly". (September 2018) |
Juan David Ortiz | |
|---|---|
| upright=Thomas_Dillon.jpg Webb County Sheriff's Office mugshot | |
| Born | Juan David Ortiz |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Suspected serial killer |
| Criminal status | Arrested |
| Details | |
| Victims | 5+ (1 survived) |
Span of crimes | September 3, 2018 – September 16, 2018 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Texas |
| Location(s) | Webb County |
Date apprehended | September 16, 2018 |
Juan David Ortiz is an American border patrol agent and a suspected serial killer.[2] Ortiz is accused of killing four women, all suspected sex workers, in September of 2018. He was caught and arrested after one of the women escaped and alerted law enforcement.[2]
Personal life
Ortiz was a member of the United States Border Patrol for 10 years,[2] where he worked as an intelligence operator.[3] He is also a United States Navy veteran.[3] Ortiz had no reported disciplinary issues while he served.[4] He was married and had one child.[5] Ortiz earned a bachelor's degree from American Military University and than later earned a master's degree from St. Mary's University in Texas.[5]
Ortiz is reported to have been planning to die by suicide by cop, stocking up on multiple weapons and trying to goad police to shoot him at the time of his arrest.[4] In the hours leading up to his arrest, Ortiz posted multiple times on social media saying goodbye to the people he knew.[4]
Arrest
On September 15, 2018, a woman who knew Ortiz and a sex worker named Melissa Ramirez, who had disappeared while allegedly in Ortiz's company, got into his vehicle according to reports.[1] After talking to Ortiz about her friend, Ortiz allegedly pulled out a firearm and tore off her shirt. The women escaped by jumping out of the truck and then found a state trooper nearby refuelling their car, to whom the victim reported the incident. At 2:30 a.m. the next day Ortiz was arrested by Texas police in a hotel parking lot where he was allegedly hiding.[1]
Victims
Ortiz has confessed to and is suspected of the following homicides:[6]
- Mellisa Ramirez, 29, murdered on 3 September 2018
- Claudine Anne Luera, 42, murdered on 13 September 2018
- Griselda Alicia Hernandez Cantu, 35, murdered on 15 September 2018
- Nikki Enriquez Ortiz, 28, murdered on 15 September 2018
All 5 of the victims were sex workers; all were women, one of whom was reported as being transgender.[3] Ortiz allegedly confessed after his arrest that he had started killing on the third of September and that he personally knew the first two alleged victims.[3] He is also accused of killing two other individuals in the morning of September 15th in the five hours between the assault on the escaped woman and his capture.[1]
Ortiz allegedly confessed to picking up a mother of two named Melissa Ramirez on September 3rd. She was 29 years old. After driving down a rural county road in Webb County, a couple miles outside the city, Ramirez got out of the vehicle to urinate, where Ortiz allegedly then shot Ramirez multiple times with a firearm.[1] Ramirez's body was discovered the following day.[7]
Ten days later, Ortiz allegedly picked up 42-year-old Claudine Anne Luera, a mother of five.[7] After Luera reportedly confronted Ortiz about the disappearance of her friend Ramirez, she got out of Ortiz's vehicle when he shot her in the head. Luera was found alive but died hours later in the hospital.[1]
The last two alleged victims of Ortiz were found on a five mile stretch of Highway 35. Ortiz allegedly confessed to investigators that he picked up a sex worker and drove her out where he killed her in a similar manner, and then went back to Laredo where he picked up another sex worker and murdered the two down the road. Ortiz allegedly led police to the site of the crime.[1] Unlike the alleged Ramirez and Luera murders, Ortiz had no prior contact with the last two victims.[7]
Aftermath
Ortiz has been charged by the Webb County court with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.[7] Ortiz has confessed to the four murders and fifth attempted murder to investigators,[8] and allegedly has led investigators to one of the bodies. During interviews with investigators, Ortiz reportedly expressed a hatred of prostitutes.[5] Investigators have stated that they have not ruled out the possibility that Ortiz had additional victims.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Horton, Alex (16 September 2018). "A woman's daring escape from a Border Patrol agent helped reveal a 'serial killer,' police say". The Washington Post. MSN News. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ a b c "US 'serial killer' border agent arrested in Texas". BBC News. 16 September 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ a b c d Hart, Benjamin (16 September 2018). "Border Patrol Officer Suspected of Killing Four Women in Texas". Daily Intelligencer. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ a b c Silva, Daniella (17 September 2018). "Border Patrol agent accused of serial killings wanted to 'commit suicide by cop,' officials say". NBC News. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ a b c Jervis, Rick (17 September 2018). "Border Patrol 'killer' agent befriended prostitutes before killing them". USA Today. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ a b McLaughlin, Eliott C. (18 September 2018). "Investigators are not confident they've found all Border Patrol agent's victims". CNN. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Border Patrol agent jailed on $2.5M bond in killings of 4 women in Texas". CBS News. 16 September 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ Stelloh, Tim (17 September 2018). "Border Patrol agent confesses to killing 4 sex workers in two-week spree". NBC News. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
External links
- Juan D. Ortiz Jail Record, Webb County Sheriff's Office
- Press conference - Webb County Sheriff's Office (17 September 2018)