Ready? Yeah. Okay. Everybody was scared that you were showing up to Loreto. Somebody needed to put it out there. Something was wrong, and bodies were being found all over the place. It was along this dusty road that a rancher found a woman's body faced down in that brush. It is a female in her mid-30s. It seemed like an actual execution. How can someone just be thrown on the side of the road? What person would do this? A monster. These back streets became a killer's hunting ground. There was concern out there. Could we be next? And then another victim is found. And I've got a female in the Grand Lane. Come on, you all. You all got to hurry. I think my whole neighborhood heard me scream. Just to know that she was left there. She had to die. I'm sorry. Nobody deserves that. Nobody. We may have a serial killer on our hands. I told the chief, You need to find them because there's going to be more. Help me. Help me. And that's just the beginning of our nightmare. That's just the beginning. Hey, hey, hey, hey. It's a border town, but it's also one of the biggest border towns in the United States.

So we are in the back streets of San Bernardo Avenue in downtown Laredo, commonly known as La Sambar. This is personal to me because this is often where my mother worked and walked around. She stayed around this area. There would be times where I would have to come down here to look for her. Claudine Luetta was a mother. She loved her five children, and her family loved her. The Let's talk about your mom. What was she like? My mom, she was perfect. She was beautiful. She was funny. She was the best cook ever. Very thoughtful, very lovable, always reminding me how much she loved me. We were, I think, well grounded by my family, and we didn't have much, but we had what we needed. We were known as the Waritas, the Little White Girls, because my mother was originally from Glasgow, of Scotland. And my father, he was born and raised here in Loreto, Texas. Family was very important for her. She wanted us to have a better life and felt like she couldn't provide that for us. So then she resorted to the streets. She started going into a depression, and she didn't know there would be a way out.

And we started noticing more habits. She had her own demons, but at the end of the day, she loved us. Did you worry about her safety? Every day. I would cry, pray to God because she was on the streets. I always had that worry in the back of my head. Claudine was a woman who worked on San Bernardo Avenue. San Bernardo has a unique character on its own. It's known as having those little mom and pop shops. It's also known for its dark side, the drug use, the drug exchanges. It's always been really known as that Red Light district. I was born and raised right here in South Texas, so I know the good people of Loreto are humble, warm, welcoming, and grounded in their Mexican-American heritage. You're going to see so much of the Mexican culture here in Loreto. Loreto is known for the Jalapeño Festival. Go, Loreto. This town is called the Gateway City. And because it's right here on the border, there's a heavy law enforcement presence here. This is not a place where people fear for their safety. And that's why the murder of a young woman on the outskirts of town in 2018 shook this community to its very core.

No, you're fine. I'm here driving by Jeffrey's Road. I believe I found a dead body. I don't have a body. Please. Go ahead and send somebody. Okay, thank you. She was found in Webb County in a colonial area. There's nothing after. Once you get outside of the city limits, it's rural Texas. It's just farmland. It's very flatland, dirt roads. Not an area that city folks will visit unless they have a purpose to be there. It was along this dusty road that a rancher found a woman's body faced down in that brush. She had been shot at close range several times. To investigators, this wasn't just a murder. It would have happened to about right here. Right here. It seemed like an actual execution. Back of the head and shot her here. Captain Federico Calderón of the Webb County Sheriff's Office and Texas Ranger E. J. Salinas, led the investigation, and they brought us to the crime scene. And she was found out in the open. Anyone could have seen this. Right here, half on the road, half on the verm there, but yeah, completely out in the open. How long has she been out here?

Hours, I think it could have happened that night before. What leads you to believe that she was killed here and not somewhere else, and then her body dumped here? The evidence that was found left behind the body? I mean, the shell cases were right there next to the body. The Eagle Eye detectives find 40 caliber shell casings, as well as distinct tire tread marks that appear to be from a pickup truck. And where were the tire marks found? Show me back here. So the tire marks would have been here from where he turned around. And then he just left her here? He just left her here. What person would do this? A monster. We have new information regarding the body of a woman found in Northwest Webb County. Authorities have not yet released the name of the victim. I was extremely worried that could have been my mother. That was a fear I had every night growing up. Later that day, the medical examiner was able to identify the victim, but it wasn't Claudeen Lueta, as her daughter Cierra had feared. Authorities confirmed tonight that the victim in this case is 29-year-old Melissa Ramirez from right here in Loreno.

As soon as law enforcement identified the victim as Melissa Ramirez, investigators notified her mother, Maria Christina Benavides. Two detectives go to your front door. What do they say? We found your daughter dead in a ranch up north. I felt my blood left my body, and I collapsed. I collapsed. I couldn't talk. I could only cry and scream. I grew up with Melissa since we were little. We're best friends, so I know her since she was a baby. Everybody just loved being around her because she was always joking around, singing and dancing. She was a human being, a beautiful human being. I spoke to my mother, and I was very relieved that it wasn't her. And she did share with me that somebody from Sanber had been murdered. The community itself in San Menardo, everybody knew each other, and they would watch out for each other. What was their relationship like with Melissa? They were very close. They would protect each other in the streets. No one knew what happened, how it happened. It was just a waiting game. But it wasn't long before investigators get a break in the case. Wewere there, and the vehicle had been seen leaving the scene of the crime in a suspicious manner.

Witnesses at the scene had spotted a dark truck along Jeffrey's Road near the victim's body. Before the vehicle left the scene, witnesses were able to get a license plate. Who was that person? That person ended up being a police officer. This photo here, I took it. This one, too. This one I also took. That's with her little boy? Yes. When you remember your daughter, what do you think? That I really miss her. When do you think of her? Every day. Every day, I think of her. Every day, I miss her. At night, I cry. Every day. You were lucky you took these pictures. Good afternoon. I'm Brennan Camacha. It's a story that shook the Loreto community. Melissa Ramirez's body was found on US 83 North, near Camino Colombia Road. On the day that we found out who the victim was, our reporters started going out in the field. We had learned that she was a sex worker that was picked up on San Bernardo. San Bernardo Avenue is known in Loreto. It's definitely a place at night where the sex workers walk along. There's probably drugs being sold along the roadway as well. According to investigators, Melissa Ramirez had been on the streets for years using money from sexual encounters to buy drugs.

But her family says she kept this lifestyle a secret from them. How did she start working in San Bernardo Avenue? She never told me that she was going to go to the streets to do this and that. She never told you? I didn't know that. I didn't know anything. I never saw her. Never saw her drink or do drugs. Whatever she did, she did. And who was we to judge? What if she was going to already leave that life? We don't know. She was private. She was very, very private. We do have to think about why people choose to do sex work. Often it's addiction or the need to feed our children. And once that cycle begins, it's very difficult. Claudine Luetta's daughter, Cierra, watched her mother struggle with those problems. She never wanted to tell me, Oh, I'm a sex worker. She was ashamed, but addicted to it. She was like, I'm really addicted to heroin, and she would need to go back to San Bernardo to get that fixed. When Melissa did go out, did you worry? Yes, I was worried because sometimes she went out for 2-3 days. I would tell her, Talk to me.

Talk to me because I stay waiting for you. In fact, two weeks before her daughter's murder, Christina says Melissa came to her with a chilling premonition. She told me, They're going to kill me just like that. They're going to kill me with a gun like this. It's like she saw the future. We were trying to find out who did it. At that point, we didn't know who it was because anybody can be a suspect. And while Melissa Ramirez's family questioned who might want her dead, investigators were chasing down that lead about a black pickup truck seen near her body. There was a vehicle on that specific branch road where her body was found, and the homeowners that were at an adjacent property saw the vehicle. They see that it was parked there for some amount of time that caught their attention. And when they saw it drive away, they noticed that there was a body next to the truck. So they naturally came to the conclusion that truck was involved with that body somehow. I'm the district attorney. My communication to the deputies who are working the scene is we need to find this man who did this.

We had to find that truck. Police use any resource they can pool to get that license plate and figure out all of the information attached to it. At some point, they enlist the help of Border Patrol to track down whose license plate is this. At the time, I was assigned to a intel center that's housed there with Border Patrol. And every time we run across a name, a number, I usually call up there to get research done. And they had cameras out there. They monitor cameras that's mainly along the river in some brush areas. That can be helpful. That can be beneficial. So that was one of my first calls. Law enforcement is able to identify the driver. Who was that person? That person ended up being a police officer. It was surprising to hear that a police officer was in that truck and could have potentially been the suspect. We're making sure that cross your T's, dot your eyes. But yes, they're thinking hopefully we have the person. The Sheriff's office and the Rangers confronted him, brought him in for questioning, and they got a search warrant to go to his house and recovered weapons and trying to check his alibis, check his history.

This individual cooperated with investigators and told his side of the story. According to the officer, he was out with his kids looking at properties for sale. He never saw the body on the side of the road. At the end, it ended up being a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. All of that was corroborated, and he was cleared as a suspect. The victim in this case is 29-year-old Melissa Ramirez. So far, no arrests have been made. Once police already ruled out the police officer as the suspect, they go back to the drawing board. It was important to try to get information on any of the Johns or boyfriends that may have been visiting with her leading up to the murder. We didn't know if we were dealing with a person who was in the drug, or prostitution world, or human trafficking. We were trying to find what happened that night, who she was with. Melissa's mother, Christina, had provided investigators with the name of a man she says spent time with her daughter just days before her murder. He was a regular, if you will, I guess, customer. He was driving a vehicle similar to a vehicle that was in the area early on.

And he had picked her up. And he had picked her up. When investigators ran a background check on the suspect, they learned he owned a gun similar to the one used to kill Melissa. With that information in hand, law enforcement sets up surveillance at his home. Anything could have happened in that situation. He could be armed and dangerous. Investigators were prepared for a confrontation. Initially, you thought you had a suspect. Yes, we had several leads. Of course, being in the business, you tend to pick up different people. Investigators had set their sights on a suspect who, according to Melissa's family, had seen her days before the murder. And so they placed his home under surveillance. Their concern is what is the situation to be like once we confront him? They have to be careful with this situation because you don't know, is this guy going to pull out a gun? Is he armed and dangerous? Law enforcement had a clock that was ticking. On September the sixth of 2018, when they were conducting surveillance, was the first time they got a look at him. Sure enough, they're able to intercept him as he's walking out of his home.

Once they approach him, they identify themselves as to what their purpose is. He cooperates and agrees to go to the station and question him as to when the last time he saw Melissa. He relates that it would have been 2-3 days before her murder, and that he picked her up on San Bernardo Avenue. He's with her that evening, and at the end of the night, he drops her off at the Pan American Motel. And that is the last time that he saw her. He handed over his cell phone and was eventually cleared as a suspect after Cell Tower data placed him elsewhere on the day of the murder. At the end, his story checked out. And at this point, you have some names of Ramirez's associates. Correct. In fact, you followed up on three leads of three men who had known Melissa. Correct. And none of them turned out to be the killer. They all seemed like good leads at the time. And we did our investigation, and we followed up, interviewed, and we did what we had to. But at the end of the day, they weren't panning out asthey were not trying to find their viable suspects.

Were you praying for that the killer be found? Yes, I had her ashes in the house, and I would get the urn and hug it close to me and ask her, Tell me who it was. Who took your life? I prayed to God that we needed to find the person that killed her. I know that they were working tirelessly, the investigators in this case. We weren't sleeping. Me and Fred were tied up the hip for those next couple of days. They're trying to hone in on who could have picked up Melissa. Who was this person? They were literally working non-stop trying to find the killer. We were out there every day talking to people, visiting different residences and businesses, driving up in town San Bernardo and areas around that area, and talking to people on the streets, talking to people in the front yards, and hoping somebody could give us some information. Old-fashioned police work. Exactly. We had been able to piece together the days leading up and who she had been with and who she had frequented with. But that critical time before she died was what we were missing. I think the number one thing that we wanted to know is to find peace and to make sure that that person didn't hurt someone else or hurt our family.

With a killer on the loose, the city of Loreto remained on high alert, and so did the women of La Sander. I think their friends that worked in that same industry probably pieced it together first. Somebody's going around killing our friends. Though Melissa Ramirez's case confounded investigators, they suspected that these back streets had become a killer's hunting ground. I'm walking down San Bernardo Avenue, better known as La Sanjo. It's Loreto's Red Light district. And although things have changed a little bit since 2018, it's still business as usual here. What brings you out here? I don't know exactly how to say. I don't really know how to explain myself. I guess, necessities. You heard what happened. How scary was that to you? Very. I actually was asleep that night. I was going to be out here, and thankfully, I was asleep. You were going to be out here that night? Yeah, because I'm always around here. So yeah. How dangerous is it? Very. You never know whose car you're getting into. Yeah. Why do you do it? I really don't know. And even after what happened, you're still out here. It's dangerous. Do you think you'll ever leave the streets?

Yes. All right. You be careful, okay? One of the names that had come up is Jaudine Luera. It's a friend of Melissa's who would have been also working on the San Bernardón. Law enforcement felt that perhaps she could have provided information on the last time that Melissa was picked up. How did your mom react to Melissa's murder? She was afraid. She was worried. My mother had asked me to get her a taxi and to pay for it for her to get taken to my apartment. And she has if she could stay there then because she just didn't feel safe. I could tell there was fear. The trees are still not releasing much information in connection to the case of a woman found dead in a rural part of Webb County. In the days following Melissa's murder, there have been no arrests. No arrests. Are you feeling pressure from the community? There's always pressure when somebody's been killed, especially in this manner. People cared because how can someone just be thrown on the side of the road and nothing's done about it? She's just as important as every other person. So the community wanted answers and they wanted to prevent it from happening again.

One of the biggest challenges we have in law enforcement is time, right? So time is the biggest enemy that we have when I say that because only the criminal can decide when, where, and how to commit the crimes. There was concern out there. Could we be next? 10 days later, there were reports of a second victim. The victim was found about a mile away from Loreto's previous homicide victim. And that's just the beginning of our nightmare. That's just the beginning. Who did you think would have been responsible for this crime? It was a who done it at that time, and law enforcement is trying to catch up. Ten days into the investigation, you still don't have much. We still don't have much. And then another victim was found. Correct. On the morning of September 13th, 2018, a truck driver spots the body of a young woman in a ditch about a mile up the road from where Melissa Ramirez was killed. Left county 911. Hey, I'm on Highway 255. Okay. And I've got a female in the grass lane. He ended thought that she probably got hit by a car. But then close to inspection, she was shot.

The victim had been shot in the back of the head, but was still clinging to life. And I don't know if she's unconscious, but she is breathing right now. But there is blood all over the grass, okay? So you all better send the paramedics and the police first. She was probably there laying for hours before law enforcement found her. I can't believe nobody else stopped us for this freaking lady. Come on, you all got to hurry. She's still breathing, though. You all got to hurry. Was she able to give you a description of her assailant? No, she really couldn't process much information other than the amount of pain that she was feeling. The victim was found this morning after a concerned citizen reported the discovery to the Webb County Sheriff's office. She was alive when deputies arrived but later died at the hospital, and an investigation is now underway. There were a lot of personal belongings, and even her shoes were there. There was two casings recovered from this crime scene, but the victim had only one impact to the back of her head, which was indicative to me that the victim was trying to run away at the time that she was shot.

My husband told me I saw on the news, it said second victim found. I didn't know anything. Nobody knew anything. This is a similar circumstance to Melissa. We had no idea who the victim was yet. But based off of how she was found and the similarities in the case, it was natural to assume, could it possibly be another sex worker? News travels fast in Loreto, and Claudeen's sisters were soon hearing rumors that she may have been killed. People are saying that the person they found was Claudeen. That's the word in the street. I call my sister and I'm shaking, and I'm like, You need to call the police. We have to find her. We have to find her. The last time I spoke with her was on Tuesday, I believe it was the 11th. And what happened? Did you get a phone call? Yeah, I get a phone call. I answer, we talk for a bit, and then I get some messages just telling me how much she loves me. And she tells me the most beautiful things like chula, hermosa, preciosa, like that I love more than anything in this world to infinity and beyond.

It was like the most beautiful message she had sent. I called an investigator friend to see what was going on. And I gave my sister's description of all the tattoos, all her scars that I can recall. And she immediately said this case belongs to the Texas Rangers. Captain Cardoneau responded, and I responded as well. After surveying the scene, collecting some of the stuff that she had, we learned her name. I ended up calling the coroner's office, but for some reason, they didn't want to release any information. Her kids are about to come home from school. I go, What am I supposed to tell them? I go, she's not answering her phone. I guess the lady felt sorry for me and she said, We can't confirm that it is Claudine Luette. And at that point, I just lost it. I think my whole neighborhood heard me scream. No. Collette then had to break the devastating news to her niece, Sierra. The images that I saw, the blood, on the ground and how much blood could look almost like she dragged her body. And she fought. And she fought very hard. That just to know that she was left there.

She had to die. I'm sorry. Nobody deserves that. Nobody. She had such a good heart, and she was just the sweetest lady. She was just the sweetest lady, and she tried. She had her vices. She had her addiction, but she still fought. She still tried. She still was trying to be present for us. What really went through my mind was that she was still alive and she was on the side of the road, and he threw her like trash. I said, Who does that? Did you wind up asking yourself who might have been responsible? Yes. I thought it would have been one of her ex-boyfriends because she was always in toxic relationships. I was just thinking, Who else could it have been? And while Claudeen's family questioned who was responsible, investigators had a theory. You said that Claudeen Luetta might have been a possible witness to Melissa's murder. That's correct. We were looking for her as one of the last possible witnesses that had seen Melissa with the unknown person who ended up later killing her. Do you think that's why Luetta was killed? You know-He was trying to tie up loose ends? We can speculate, but that's too much of a coincidence.

You can start seeing that the suspect has created a form of MO, that this is the group that he's targeting because the similarities are just uncanny. I've always felt very safe here, and this is probably the first time where I thought, Goodness, this is real. I told the Chief Deputy of the Sheriff's office, We may have a serial killer on our hands. You need to get this guy. You need to find him because there's going to be more. The information that was relayed to me was, Mr. Da, we have another one. We have a female who works in prostitution, shot execution style. Very similar. Very similar. These were among the darkest days that Loreto had ever faced. A possible serial killer was on the loose, targeting vulnerable women on the streets of La Sandburg. The women on San Bernardo were more hidden because they're coming after our own. I'm trying to think. Some serial killers choose sex workers because they presume no one will care. But in Loreto, they cared. Law enforcement took this seriously. There were so callous. The locations where they found the outskirts, it appeared to me that these people were brought to their final resting pace.

The same thing. The same thing. Almost showing it off. Almost showing it off, you know? And that's the challenge. There's the body. Good luck finding the killer. It had become a deadly game of cat and mouse. And in the wake of the murders, clues left behind that could help investigators catch a killer. They were able to recover a very good, readable cast of the tire tread, which matched the tire tread in the first area. Crime scene two, crime scene one matched. But that's not all. The shell cases recovered from Claudeen's murder appeared to match the gun used to kill Melissa. We are at the Arena Gun Club in Loreto, Texas. So we're going to demonstrate a 40 caliber semi-automatic handgun. The killer had used that type of gun. Yes, sir. Captain, that was a pretty good shot. What's happening to the shell cases when you're firing? The blowback from the discharge of the bullet itself pushes the slide back, ejects the casing. So the firing pin, when it strikes the back of the case, it leaves a very specific indentation. Right here? Yes. And through forensics, we can analyze that, and we're able to link the different shell casings at the different crime scenes.

And whoever killed these women, why did he leave these all over the ground? Being reckless, which is good for us. The police are still not releasing much information. We knew of the coverage of these murders, but police weren't saying much. You must have tried to keep the facts of the case out of the media initially. That's hard to do, obviously. Now, what we do know is that the case is being treated as a homicide. Loreto is a small community. Crime is always on the front page. People started to get nervous. People started to get scared, and rightfully so. The thought of a serial killer in a community like ours was unfathomable. Real. And now that it was real, it brought along real fears. In the aftermath of the murders, the women of La Sandburg, like the young woman we met, feared that a menacing killer roamed these streets, and itsays it was only a matter of time before he chose his next victim. That is what I'm thinking. This is going to continue unless we stop this person. And the very next day after Claudine Luera's murder, investigators get a call about a possible third victim.

It's early evening on San Bernardo Avenue, a man picks up sex worker, Erica Benia. She was taken to a client's home, a client that she knew by the name of David. But once there, things do not go as planned, and the night begins to take a very unexpected turn. He starts making some real bizarre comments to her. He started bringing up Melissa and how he was concerned police were going to suspect him because he had been with her. And she tries to calm him down and saying, If you were involved with her, that's no big deal. You didn't kill her. But he's emphasizing, Well, she may have my DNA, so they may think it's me. That statement set off alarm bells for Erica. She is trying to find a way to get out. She starts getting sick to her stomach. At that point, he was like, Let's go get you something to eat, and maybe that'll help your stomach. So she went with him. They stopped at a local gas station that wasn't far from his home. He deliberately parked behind the gas station, near the truck drivers, away from cameras or witnesses. In that moment, Erica comes face to face with a killer.

And that's when he pulls his 40 caliber HK and points it at her. She was the one that really broke the case for us. And there's a video of it. That's right. A woman running for her life. Hand up. Stop right there. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Three victims and one possible serial killer on the loose, but not for long. This is such a… Yes, it is. Relax. It's a real-life thriller that's playing out on surveillance tape and police cams. And he got very weird all of a sudden. I got in a fight. A bad fight. Then with 2020 on the ground in Moreto, Texas. The killer had used the typing counter. We got another body roll, about a 15-mile marker. All the law enforcement around me jumps away from the table. They scoot their chairs back. Everybody rushes for the door to get in their units to go find her. How did you find out that she'd been killed? This is what a monster came out. You could see the monster coming out. I don't know if you ever see the devil coming out of somebody. Kind of like that. Dad, you're probably the king.

You're probably the king. My dear Christina, Melissa, we're inseparable. And that's the thing that gets me is like, Why did you have to take her? The why may never come. But after Claudine Luera's body was discovered, investigators were able to make a clear connection between the two victims. The biggest similarity is that they were both sex workers. They both worked on San Bernardo. And also, Luera was found not far, far where Melissa was found. Families were telling their loved ones, Be careful when you go out there. Something's going on. Twenty-six-year-old Erica Pena is staring down the barrel of a 40 caliber pistol held at gunpoint by a man who picked her up on San Bernardra Avenue. In the past 12 days, two women she knew had been murdered. She suddenly realizes this could be the killer, terrorizing Loreto. She begins to get panicked, and she's trying to leave the vehicle, and a struggle happens, and he ends up ripping off her shirt. It was at this service station that investigators got their big break. A state trooper was pumping gas here when a shirtless woman ran up to him saying that a man was trying to kill her, and it was all captured on those security cameras.

So on that night, I finished refueling. All of a sudden, I see the lady coming from the side of the store, rapid walking towards my patrol car. He took out the gun, and he wanted me to get in. And I started yelling, Help me. Help me. Yes, if were? Did he leave already? Yes, I got really scared. She had mentioned to me that she just had gotten assaulted by an individual and that this individual pointed a gun at her. I know because it's a shock. I mean, you just escaped from a possible kidnap. It's just that suddenly I had a feeling, sir, of something about him. He got very weird all of a sudden. I got in a vibe. A bad vibe? Did he assault you when he took your shirt off? When he took my shirt off, I took my shirt off to get out. They take her to the substation, where she begins to tell a story. And she begins to explain about this one guy named David who drives a white truck. She even says that I was at his house tonight before I escaped. A very pretty house. Very pretty. I would imagine he might work in the oil fields, right?

That's what you think. Well, he lives well. He lives well. They start canvassing that area with Erica in the car, and she points out the house where she had been. With a search warrant, we got into the house. No one was home. He had an AR-15 and pistols, and they were staged ready for use. What did that tell you? That he was ready to shoot it out for anybody knocking on his door. A record search showed that the homeowner's name was Juan David Cortiz. Police issued an alert and started looking for him. That night, we were actively patrolling 35, receive a bolo with a picture of the suspect that we were looking for, along with the license plate number. Four hours have passed since Erica escaped from Artisa's truck, and now seven miles away, that same truck is spotted at another gas station. It. One of the troopers saw the vehicle and eventually matched it with a license plate, and they waited for the person to come out of the gas station. Put your hands up! Stop right there. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Is this your truck? Is this your truck? Okay. All right. Turn around.

Turn around. He was saying, You're scaring me. What's going on? And then that's when he decided to run. Turn around, please. Turn around. Hey, hey, hey. Running at full speed, the troopers have their body cams on and you see the footage as the foot chase begins. Where's the animal? No, bro. He went as out here. He's in here. He came back up westbound onto the other streets. When he hooked up to go to the garage ramp, that's when we, aswell as the two guys, we both lost sight. So after regrouping, backup does show up. Troopers, wave County, SO, the radio PD. You have multiple law enforcement agencies basically barricading the whole hotel, making it seem like the movies. The police activity even attracted Priscilla Villa Real, known to her Facebook followers as La Gordy Loca. All I know that Texas Rangers, DPS, the Loretta Police Department, Sheriff's Department are here at this time. She live streams the event from her phone. Everybody has their firearms at hand. Priscilla isn't the only one posting social media updates. From his hiding spot, Juan David Cortiz hears police closing in on him and sends ominous messages online to family and coworkers.

He turns to his social media page and starts to send messages-On Facebook. -on Facebook saying, This is Doc, I'm signing out. To my wife and kids, he said, I love you. Farewell. So he's checking out. They started going up the parking garage, and they were doing a very thorough search. They clear floor by floor. They were checking doors, cars, every corner that he could potentially be at. They finally get to the top floor where they see a black truck. Get down. Get down. He was laying face up in the truck, and at that point, we just grabbed him. Is this the subject we're looking at? Yes, it is. Relax. Where's the weapon at, man? Yeah, where's the weapon at? Huh? Where did you leave it? What's the new job? You already know. Huh? You already know. You already know. -what do you mean? -what do you mean? You already know. -what's in here? -what's in here? Tonight, a terrifying arrest in Texas. Police think they've stopped the San Bernardo killer, but when they learn who Juan David Ortiz is, it raises more questions than answers. I really couldn't believe it. I know there'sSounds good. Somewhere in the course of that evening, they find out that he's law enforcement.

Investigators say minutes before he's captured, people at the Border Patrol intelligence center suddenly realize Juan Davidortiz is actually Agent Juan Davidortiz. They called him and told him, Hey, the guy you're looking for is one of our guys, supervisor. I'm completely shocked. I'm disappointed, obviously. I'm saddened by the news that it's an agent that they have in custody. This was a Border Patrol agent that people trusted. This is a law enforcement officer who was committing horrific crimes. It was here in this tiny interview room in this very chair that Juan David Artiz sat handcuffed for nearly eight hours. One of the things that stands out during his interview is that of arrogance that he has. He even made fun of the troopers that chased him on foot for being out of shape. Turn around. Please, turn around. Hey, hey, hey, hey! Hey, hey. Hey, hey. I'm the trooper I spoke, man. The chipper couldn't keep up with me, dude. Tell him he needs to work out too long, man. Yeah, sure. Juan David Cortiz was 35, married for 14 years to a woman he met in high school. They're raising their three children in a comfortable home north of Loreto.

Grew up in Brownsville. I served a tour in the Middle East. He was atourist. He was a medic in the Navy, and he was assigned to a marine unit. He helped save people. He did. I am sickened and saddened by the events that have occurred and offer my deepest condolences to the families and the friends of the victims. There was nothing in his background certainly that would have alerted CBP or have indicated that Mr. O'tis was capable of anything like this, and nothing disciplinary. This clean-cut guy, sipping water, fixing his hair, lounge. Could he be the guy hunting the streets of Loreto, haunting the border town with a series of execution-style murders? The next eight hours will tell. Hello, sir. Hello, you doing okay? Good, good. It has to be one of the top, if not the top interview that I've done in this room here. What's your name? You guys are Reuben. Can you tell us? You guys are Reuben. And in the early stages of the interview, what was his demeanor like? He was evasive. He didn't want to really cooperate. What is? Help me understand what you're thinking, why it doesn't drive...

Look what this is doing today. You want me to explain something to you? I don't know just shit about? There's no doubt in their mind that he is the person. The big challenge is going to be, is he going to be willing to talk? Do you have something against drug users? Do you have something against prostitutes? And he starts talking about how he needs help in the VA and how he's been affected with the medicines. I've confirmed that I got PTSD. They put me on all those fucking pills, on sleeping pills, mining pills, all kinds of shit. I've seen a psychiatrist a bunch of times. And there's one word that comes out at the beginning of the interview that's interesting, and it's the Texas Ranger that interjects it. Is there a common sign where you're blackout? Is it like, often or.? Cortiz jumps at it and he runs with it. I'm going to say I had a blackout. I had a blackout. It's very black and blue-black. When that started blacking up with that. When that started happening? When I drink, and I take the pills every day. So in other words, when I drink.

Initially, he completely denied it, knowing who Erica was. And unbeknown to him, Erica is just down the hall giving an interview to police. That's right. So Erica has already given all this information. Yes, it seems to me that, yes, he had to pass through here. So it's further over there? Yes, sir. He passed through here to get to his house. Over there. He lives over there. Now we know he's here lying because we know Erica was in his house. Erica was able to describe his house particularly inside and out. You go inside, then on this side, you see the kitchen, the sofas, and a TV, and a long table, and there is a door to exit towards the back over there. Little by little, the investigator and the ranger are able to confront him with evidence, physical evidence, photographic evidence. Look at one of those homes, please. I just want to say. Forty Copper Smith and Wesley from back to the head. More than once. I don't know. I said more than once. The investigators show Orthes' photos of his alleged victims, Melissa Ramirez and Claudine Luera, before and after pictures, alive and dead. That's Claudine, where she was alive.

This is what she looked like before. That's what she looked like after you, after she had an encounter with you. This is the what Melissa looks like before. He's actually in trouble. And this is what happened to Melissa after. She has five kids then. So they start to talk to him about the ballistics, matching the casings to his gun. And the shell casings were picked up all 40 cal. Also, this is what it's in 40 cal. The same type of ammo you have in your services. Also in his vehicle, he has two women's purses. You didn't leave anything else in the pickup truck? My little purse, a little flowered purse that I had with me. So back here is where some of the belongings were. There were makeup bags or purses. Let me start showing you something. Because we're in the front. But it's not your wife. There's a turning point in this story that's very dramatic. He starts to fidget with his handcuffs. He is anobody. He's a nanny. I turn to everybody in the rooms. I said, Guys, get ready. Here it comes. I didn't do any of this. You guys were saying.

But you didn't do it on your own. I didn't do it on your own. I mean, that's pretty traumatic. I'm sure I would remember something like that. That's how I'm sure you do it. The interview of Border Patrol agent and now multiple murder suspect, Juan David Rotiz, is looking hopeless. He was uncooperative, manipulative, playing games with the investigators. What happened? Let me run my decision, man. You're You don't tell us. You tell me. You tell me. You're the one who did it. The first sign of emotion comes when Ortiz asks for a photo of his family from his phone. I don't want to picture what you want. I'm sorry. The only one with my family he has is the Pritchard. He reacts to nothing except his family, which is really interesting. I mean, cold, cold, cold. And then the one time he reacts is with his family. Do you know what you're all wearing? It was Mother's Day. The investigators say they'll try. Thank you.ortiz submits to a DNA sample and photos. Then the Border Patrol agent gets a new uniform from Forest Green to Jailhouse Orange. My mom is Jailhouse Orange. I can see who she really is.

She really is. I'm the pride and joy of the whole family. There's a turning point in this story that's very dramatic. You've served your country. You've done the right thing. Help us right now. Help us do the right thing. Help yourself to do the right thing. The turning point, close to 11:30 in the morning, is when he starts to fidget with his handcuffs. It all started. Can you please take this off? I'm not doing that actually. He just lets out this breath and he's like, Okay, I'll tell you. This time was a friend of mine. It's not a friend of mine, but like a friend of friends. Here is that dramatic moment where Captain Calerón is removing the handcuffs. We felt like that was a moment, so we removed his cuffs. He takes her out. And sure enough, he let us have it. Okay, it was just that. So he's onthe... That trip. He eventually admits to knowing Erica and what happened between them. Erica is in my house. Eric was in his safe places. What did he tell you about the murders of Melissa and Claudeen? He basically told us a story that when he was an Intel, Border Patrol agent, he used to patrol those areas in San Bernardo.

So he got to know the crack houses. He got to know the street walkers and stuff like that. And he starts off talking about Melissa, how he picked her up. He was friends with Melissa. He would take her to buy drugs, then he would just take her to buy food. The night he killed Melissa Ramirez, Mortiz says she used drugs and passed out in his truck. Completely. Deep. (expletive) sleep. I'm driving around like a f*cking man. I'm in the pinch. He got annoyed. And he just shot her. What does he tell you about the murder weapon? He told us he used his H and K. 40 caliber service pistol, what he used for work every day. His service revolver. I got in my trunk, busted a uturn. I go straight to my house, to my love and my kids. And he says these words around this time that were quite just shocking. This is where the monster came out. That's when the monster came out. You could see the monster coming out. It took me back because I don't know if you ever see the devil coming out of somebody like that. He was so callous about the way that he talked about the women.

He didn't care. He was like, Why the fuck does he take out these bitches like that? Does he ever tell you why he killed these women? His claim is that he was, quote-unquote, cleaning up the streets. The first thing he was not that correct. After that, I saw it like... This is not stupid. I don't even want to clean up the streets. I'm not always going to fuck with you. He willfully admits he's his vigilante trying to clean up the streets of Loreto. It's quite a contradiction, isn't it? Correct. Absolutely. He's buying them drugs. He's paying these prostitutes himself. Correct. And then he claims he's trying to clean it up. It was a poor attempt at justification for the horrible crimes he had committed. I was like, You don't have to do people. I convinced myself of that. That was his mindset that these women, based on the choices that they had made, that they did not deserve to live, and that he was in a position to be judge, jury, and executioner. We'll just have a trial right here on the side of the road, and I'll take you out. What you're doing is wrong.

It's illegal. You're not worthwhile. Goodbye. And that's just despicable. Mortiz says Claudine Luera, his second victim, realized in her final moments that he was the one who killed her friend, Melissa. Dad, you're probably a killer. You're probably a killer. You're a fucking… Get up. She gets something. You're probably a killer. He takes her near the area where Melissa was killed, the outskirts of the radio. Did she take her camera or should they take camera? I think she's not a killer. So after confessing about Melissa, about Claudeen, and about Erica, investigators ask him if there's anything else he'd like to get off his chest. And it was that proverbial last question that every cop asks, right? Is there anything else or anyone else you haven't told us about? You guys don't have anything. The fear gripping Loreto, Texas, now has a name, Juan David Ortiz, a Border Patrol agent, killing the very people he was sworn to protect. I still remember that phone call my mom, scared. Mija, they killed the girl. And then I think a week later, Mija, another one? They killed another one, Mija. Elva Henrique's daughter, 28-year-old Janel Cortiz, was a regular on San Bernardo Avenue in September 2018, when the killings began.

I did call Janel because you just never know. She was like, No, yeah, I'm okay. Nothing would ever happen to me. All my angels protect me. When Janel Cortiz came out as transgender, her mother was accepting. She refers to Janel using male pronouns. So he started dressing as a girl, high heels, everything. You look beautiful like those drag queens. I would just be safe, come on, this is an hour. How would you describe her? She was really friendly, really outgoing. She was really funny. By the time Juan David Rotiz is in that room with investigators, Janel's family is frantic. You went to the streets at 2:00 in the morning looking for her. Yeah. You were wishing, hoping. I was praying. Back in that room at the Webb County Sheriff's substation, Juan David Cortiz finally reveals what he was doing in those missing hours before his capture. After Eric's escape at around 9:15 PM on September 14th, we know that Juan David Cortiz goes back to his home and waits for law enforcement. He's waiting for a confrontation. Grab my nana, grab my 40 counts, grab my M15, stop fucking holding them. But he doesn't stay there.

He doesn't wait for law enforcement. He decides that he's going to go back to San Bernardo Avenue. The next time we see Juan de laortiz is at the Murphy's gas station. This is somewhere between 10:45 and 11:00 PM on September the 14th. We have video surveillance of him going into the gas station. I just remember that they showed surveillance of him getting more Bud Light. He grabs three Bud Light trollies and brings them to the counter, walks out, and he drives away. It turns out that very night, Cortiz had unfinished business. After Erica Pena escapes, he returns to his hunting ground, La Sambre. Even as police throw a dragnet across Loreto. In just two hours between 11:00 PM and 1:00 in the morning, Cortiz kills again. He started telling us about Janel, and how he had just killed that person. Exhibit 15, there's barricades. There's gravel mountains. All the law enforcement around me jumps away from the table. They scoot their chairs back. Everybody rushes for the door. They were trying to get in their units to go find her. We got another body, bro. By the 15-mile marker by some gravel pitch. -another one?

-another one? It's another one, yeah. Some of the investigators from the Webb County Sheriff's office went out there and confirmed that there was a body over there. He gave you information that only the killer would know correctly. Sadly, I got the phone call. A phone call you never expect, you know? I went to my niece. I cried for two and a half hours. I mean, I know she had her battles. She chose the path, but shechose love, very love. After killing Janel, Cortiz returns yet again to San Bernardo Avenue. That's when he picks up Griselda Hernandez-Cantu. She is too a sex worker. He takes her to the typical spot he goes to in the outskirts of Loreto. They park under the underpass, and he tells her, Walk that way. San Antonio is to the north. Loreto's to the south. You go north. He's letting her go? He's letting her go. Why are you just letting her go? I said, I want you to relay a message. She's like, What? I don't know about all this shit. I'm the one that did it. I'm the one that did it. Heshadal takes a few steps away from his truck.

She turns around and she comes back. She came back. She came back to the truck and she tells him, What you need is God and God can forgive you for whatever you've done. Come to me. Walk away. Just walk away, okay? Walk away. Gisenda started talking to him, telling him about God. He didn't want to hear it. I'm telling you to walk away and you're not listening to me. Number one. I just crossed the way, interchange over here by mile marker 21, and there's a body. There's a person laying on the ground right underneath the bridge. Captain Fred Calderón gets a phone call and says, Captain, we found another one. As the Border Patrol agent confesses an unsettling realization dawns on investigators, his job had given him access to the investigation all along. And so it became revealed that he did, in fact, have knowledge of the help that was being asked to investigate the murders that he had committed. The alleged killer had been helping the investigation. It sounds like something out of a movie. Knowledge is power. When it comes to servicing your Audi, we know that subject better than anyone else. That's why every service, minor or major, is carried out by our fully qualified Audi service technicians, using only genuine Audi parts.

Plus, get 12 months complementary roadside assistance with every service. That's progress you can feel. For all your Audi servicing needs, visit autiservice. Ie. A somber evening in downtown Lareda, one with tears of sadness over the tragic loss. This was a sight over at San Agustin Plaza. A few hours ago, candles flickered over the memories of the four victims Juan Davidortiz admitted to taking. Everybody dressed in white T-shirts. Some had already the picture of their daughter or whoever it was. This is me and all my siblings. We're wearing shirts with my mom's face. People from the church came by and we're praying and we're talking. I was crying. I couldn't stop crying. Tonight, a terrifying arrest in Texas. Authorities say Juan Davidortiz, a US Border Patrol agent, is allegedly a calculated murderer. Was Agent Artiz or the Border Patrol involved in the investigation? Artiz did have knowledge of the request being made at the time of Melissa's murder. In his confession, he talks about downplaying the request. He was the one that law enforcement asked to help them, help locate this license plate, help locate somebody, a suspect that we expect passing through this area. Like AJD, can you send me my account?

That's it. That's all they're saying. It was something out of a movie because the person you were looking for is the one responsible for helping you find the person responsible. What do you mean, Border Patrol? I was just in shock. I was like, What's wrong with him? It was at that courthouse behind me that the public got their first glimpse of Juan Davidortiz. Emotions ran high for the families of the victims who demanded justice. Border patrol agent Juan Davidortiz enters a plea of not guilty in court today. They bring him out in shackles. When they're bringing him back out, one of the moms, Melissa's mom, starts yelling at him.. Order. Order. And she yells out in the courtroom, Asassino, which is Assassin. He turns around and -smirks. -he smirks. It makes you think like, what the hell? Like, no remorse whatsoever. Juan David, you don't even want to hear his name? No. I feel a lot of anger, a lot of anger, a lot of resentment, and a lot of feelings of not being able to do something for Melissa. Cortiz's legal team quickly secures a change in venue in this high-profile capital murder case, and the trial is moved 150 miles north to San Antonio.

Adding to the family's anguish, the pandemic delays the trial indefinitely. Anxiety to the max. It was the longest four years of my life. I had lost hopes already when COVID hit. You had lost hope. Yeah, we're not going to get justice. The high-profile trial that was moved from Webb County to Bexar County is now underway. This case, the evidence will show is about a man who betrayed his badge, he betrayed his country, he betrayed his family. He betrayed his community. In their opening statements, the defense paints Artiz as a victim of PTSD who they claim was prescribed a toxic mix of meds. They gave him a bunch of psychotic pills. He's under a lot of stress. He starts drinking. And then, yes, the issue of blackouts. That was my biggest fear that they would go ahead and empathize with him and forget the victims. And my job was to put the victims front and center. They called Erica Pena. Good morning. Good morning. Who was the most compelling witness? Erica Pena. Without a doubt. Without a doubt. She came forward. She went to San Antonio, and she told the same story, almost fact by fact.

Inside the truck, about what you remembered when he pulled the gun. He just pointed it right at me. When he pointed it at you, show the ladies and gentlemen during where he pointed to you. Right here at my base. You've got somebody who's obviously intoxicated. She says she's intoxicated and her credibility is at issue. At that time, you were still getting high and regurgated. Yeah, but to the point where I know what's going on. I was high, but I'm alert. I'm still alert. Erica Pena. She stood her ground and her testimonies were on fire. I know the defense tried to discredit her testimony, but her story from that day to the day she was in court years later was the exact same. When you see the dashcam video and the bodycam video of that DPS trooper to when she's on the stand, again, it is the exact same. None of that changed. That was the most beautiful testimony. I know it was so hard for her, and you can tell. You can hear it in her voice, and she's my hero. You make the film? Yes. After eight days of testimony and nearly 200 exhibits, the state rests its case.

The defense also rests without calling a single witness. The defense never denies or these murdered these four women. Still, in their closing statement, they try to convince the jury that Orthes is not a cold-blooded serial killer. Was it really a common scheme and plan? Was that really the they have the capacity to do that? You have to decide. He served his country. And when he came back and he had issues, we did not take care of him. We created that problem. We as a society did. And I would submit to you that given the evidence that we have, who this young man suddenly, after he starts taking these pills in February of 2018 to become this, is this guy really a serial killer? Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you will be able to see, hear, and analyze the confession. You will see him lie, lie, and lie, and lie. He took that first word, blackouts, and he ran with it. Mr. Pettus comes up here and he asks, Is Mr. Ordiz a serial killer? I'll answer that question. Mr. Artiz was a serial killer then? A serial killer now? What really worried me about this case that the jury would empathize with the defense.

San Antonio is actually known as military city. It's a huge military community. So I could see why Mr. Alanis was concerned. And a Bear County jury is one that I can never predict. Following a week and a half of testimony and evidence presentations, 12 jurors will decide whether what was shown proves that Juan David Artiz was responsible for the murders of Melissa Ramirez, Clarina and Lureyra, Griserda, Hernandez, Gildo, and Janel Artiz. I was doubting like, Oh, man, this might not go in our favor. You're right. Yeah. I was very worried. I was anxious. I was sick to my stomach. I couldn't imagine what was to come. We the jury find the defendant, Juan David Artiz, guilty of the offense of capital murder as starts in the indictment. When they said that he was guilty, I just said, Thank you, God. Hearing the word guilty was just such a relief. In my mind, it was just like, Okay, it's over. And tears just start rolling down. That it was like I just wanted to scream of relief. I had a heavy heart for four years. And when I heard it, just went away. Finally, I had my justice.

And I said, Now you can write in hell. This guilty verdict for capital murder comes with an automatic sentence of life without parole. The possibility of death was taken off the table shortly before the trial started. We would have periodic meetings with the surviving family members. I wanted their input, and there was one family member that stood out. That family member is Yuselda's brother, Joey Cantu, who argues to spare Juan Davidortiz's life. He presents his case in a passionate statement to the court. He said, I murdered, I went to prison for murder, and I served my time, and I paid for what I did. When I was banned parole, the sister of my victim wrote me and told me that she forgave me for what I had done. And now I find myself here in front of the person who killed my little sister. And I want you to know that I forgive you and I hold no ill will towards you, mom. Did you want Ortiz to face the death penalty? I did. I did until I met Joey. I had literally representatives from the victims' families come together and unanimously ask me to abandon the death penalty and pursue life without the possibility of parole, and that they felt that that was justice.

The families of the victims may have agreed to show mercy, but not all were willing to forgive. You deserve to suffer in prison, and go to hell. You said you wanted to clean up the streets of Loreto. Our streets in Loreto will only be cleaned when people like you are put away in jail forever. This story is not about Juan de la Rufís. It's about four women who horrifically lost their lives, but should always be remembered for the loving women they were. I love to visit my mom, and pray to her and just affirm her and remind her that we're okay and we're here and we're always going to miss her. What life do you think your mother would want you to live? The life I'm living. The life Cierra is living, and she works as a clerk here at the Webb County Sheriff's office, is something she would never have thought possible. Because I hated men and law enforcement after what happened to my mothers life. Now I've met some of the greatest people, especially Captain Calderon. He was one of the main investigator in my mom's case, and he's my boss now. What lies ahead?

Might you become an officer or go to law school? I think I want to. Right now, I'm getting my degree in psychology and a minor in criminal justice. I think she would be so proud of me. We should note that from prison, Juan Davidortiz did send 2020 a message, which included a litany of complaints about law enforcement. Yeah, but David, one thing he did not mention is the four women he's convicted of murdering. He's appealing that conviction. That's our program for tonight. Thanks so much for watching. I'm Deborah Roberts. And I'm David Muir. From all of us here at 2020 and ABC News, good night.