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Juan David Ortiz, a former Border Patrol agent, reportedly confessed to murdering four s*x workers in 2018 and was convicted of capital murder last December, receiving a life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole.
CBS News reported that at the time of his arrest, Ortiz was an intel supervisor and was charged with the killings of Melissa Ramirez, Claudine Anne Luera, Guiselda Alicia Cantu, and Janelle Ortiz.
The victims' bodies were found along roads in the border city of Laredo, Texas, in September 2018. An intense manhunt resulted in Ortiz's arrest after a s*x worker and survivor, Erika Peña, claimed a client threatened her with a gun and identified Ortiz as the attacker.
According to the Texas Department of Corrections, Juan David Ortiz is currently serving his sentence at the W. F. Ramsey Unit.
NBC Dateline is scheduled to further delve into Ortiz's crimes in an episode titled The Streets of Laredo. The all-new episode will air on the channel this Friday, September 15, 2023, at 9:00 pm ET.
Here's an official synopsis:
"An unexpected suspect comes to light as investigators work to solve a string of deadly shootings targeting women in the border city of Laredo, Texas. Josh Mankiewicz reports."
Border Patrol intel supervisor Juan David Ortiz was behind the Laredo slayings of four s*x workers
In September 2018, during a 12-day killing spree, Juan David Ortiz, a Border Patrol intel supervisor, fatally shot four s*x workers. The victims' bodies were found dumped along roads on the outskirts of Laredo, South Texas.
According to the New York Times, prosecutors allege that Ortiz picked up the women and took them to a remote location, where he shot them using his service weapon. These four killings rattled the city of Laredo and prompted an intense manhunt, and investigators found themselves desperate to locate the victims before more murders were committed.
Investigators received a breakthrough after another s*x worker named Erika Peña tipped off police about a client who threatened her with a gun. She told them about her narrow escape and eventually identified Ortiz as the attacker.
US Today reported that Ortiz was an Iraq War veteran and a 10-year veteran of Border Patrol. The officer's arrest came after he threatened Peña, his would-be fifth victim, who managed to flee from his pickup truck and notify police of the incident.
Following his arrest, Ortiz was charged with the murders of 29-year-old Melissa Ramirez, 42-year-old Claudine Anne Luera, 35-year-old Guiselda Alicia Cantu, and 28-year-old Janelle Ortiz, as per CBS.
The accused admitted to investigators that he was a customer of most of these victims, but he also showed disgust towards s*x workers by calling them "trash" and "so dirty" and insisted that his motive was to "clean up the streets."
Juan David Ortiz would-be fifth victim testified at his trial
During his December 2022 trial, prosecutors played a 10-hour-long video recording of Juan David Ortiz in front of the jury. The video was Ortiz's interview with the police, in which he was heard confessing to three murders and revealing the whereabouts of the fourth victim.
The New York Times report also mentioned Erika Peña's testimony at Ortiz's trial. Peña described how she escaped the ordeal in front of the court and claimed that the accused told her that he was afraid the police might find his DNA during the investigation into Melissa Ramirez's murder.
Peña also described her relationship with Ortiz, revealed that she had known him as a client for months, and alleged that the disgraced border patrol officer had picked up Ramirez a couple of days before she was found dead in the remote area near an interstate highway.
Following a two-week trial, a jury found Ortiz guilty of multiple counts of capital murder after five hours of deliberation, which carried an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole as prosecutors had decided not to pursue the death penalty.
According to the Texas Department of Corrections, Juan David Ortiz is currently serving his sentence at the W. F. Ramsey Unit.
NBC Dateline airs with a new episode every Friday at 9 pm ET.
