A United States Border Patrol supervisor allegedly went on a two-week killing spree that took the life of four women.
Juan David Ortiz has been charged with four counts of murder as well as aggravated assault and unlawful restraint. All of his targets are reportedly sex workers. Two of them were U.S. citizens, and the nationalities of the other two have yet to be confirmed.
Ortiz was taken into police custody after a fifth woman escaped from him at a gas station and went to authorities for help.
According to NPR, the 35-year-old intel supervisor is being held in Texas on a $2.5 million bond. He was found hiding in his truck parked in a hotel parking lot in Laredo, Texas, early Saturday morning. The woman who would have become his fifth victim, Erika Pena, lead officials to Ortiz after she realized her life was in danger.
"She went willingly with him and then while she was with him things started to get dangerous for her and when she tried to escape from him at a gas station that's when she ran into a trooper," Webb County-Zapata County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz explained.
"In our opinion, he is the sole person responsible for this horrific serial killing spree," Alaniz added.
Ortiz reportedly began to act weird when Pena mentioned Melissa Ramirez, a woman who had been murdered only a week prior. When they pulled into a gas station, she tried to leave, but he grabbed her shirt. She quickly removed her shirt, an action that ultimately saved her life.
“David grabbed her shirt to prevent her from exiting the vehicle. Erika began to scream for help. Erika pulled off her shirt allowing her to escape and run away from the vehicle,” a criminal complaint stated.
The investigation began with the discovery of Ramirez's body. According to the Texas Tribune, Ortiz provided officers with the details of picking up Ramirez on September 3, stating they drove outside city limits and stopped so Ramirez could use the bathroom. He then used a firearm to shoot her in the head.
Ortiz picked up Claudine Ann Luera and drove her outside city limits on September 13. Ortiz allegedly murdered her in the same way, shooting her "multiple times in the head," according to an arrest affidavit. The mother of five died at a local hospital. Only two days later, law enforcement discovered two additional women whose identities have not been released murdered in the same way.
Ortiz continued to work as a U.S. Border Patrol supervisor during the period of the attacks.
"We do consider this to be a serial killer," Alaniz said. "It's interesting that he would be observing and watching as law enforcement was looking for the killer, that he would be reporting to work every day like normal."
The ongoing investigation is being handled by the Texas Rangers and the Webb County Sheriff's Office.
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