Juan David Ortiz, A US border patrol agent, was indicted on capital murder charge for killing four women and kidnapping one woman. Ortiz was also indicted on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of unlawful restraint with reckless exposure to serious bodily injury, and evading arrest. His charges make him eligible for the death penalty.
According to Isidro Alaniz, the Wepp and Zapata County District Attorney, Ortiz was “hunting” sex workers and drug users in the border town of Laredo, Texas. Ortiz believed he was taking charge since law enforcement did not prioritize sex workers in the streets of Laredo. Ortiz described sex workers as “scum of the earth” and “disposable.”
On September 3, Ortiz drove Melissa Ramirez to an isolated road in South Texas and killed her by firing multiple shots into her head. Approximately a week later, Ortiz killed one woman who he believed would turn him in to authorities because she claimed Ortiz was the last person the saw with Ramirez before she died. The next day, Ortiz picked up another woman who was able to escape, and picked up two more women, drove them to isolated highways and killed them. One woman died from being shot in the head and the other died from having an unknown object used to crush her skull.
Ortiz has been under arrest and in jail since September 15th, with a $2.5 million bond after a woman he kidnapped escaped and sought help from a state trooper. Ortiz worked as a Border Patrol agent for 10 years. According to NBC, Ortiz has been suspended without pay since his arrest.
Newswire Sources: Buzzfeed News 12/5/18; NBC News 12/5/18
