US Border Patrol Agent Serial Killer Victims Includes A Latina Trans Woman

You are probably been aware of the story coming out of the Lone Star State over the weekend concerning a Laredo area supervisory Border Patrol agent who is accused of being a serial killer that targeted sex workers.

35 year old Juan David Ortiz, a ten year veteran of the Border Patrol, has been arrested and charged with the first degree murder of four women. Ortiz  has also been charged with unlawful restraint with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Erika Pena according to Webb County DA Isidro R. 'Chilo Alaniz.

Ortiz has also confessed to the murders of the four women , and is in jail on a $2.5 million bond.

Pena was talking to him inside his white four door Dodge truck when the conversation turned to discussing Ramirez, who had disappeared a week earlier and was her friend. 

Ortiz's mood changed, and he subsequently pulled a gun on Pena, pointed it at her and tried to grab her shirt to prevent her escape from the vehicle.  Pena took off her shirt and ran to a nearby gas station where she encountered a DPS state trooper.  Pena gave a detailed description of Ortiz including his tattoos to law enforcement officials, which triggered the manhunt for him that led to his arrest.   

Ortiz was found at another gas station in Laredo, and fled on foot to a nearby Ramada Inn where he was found hiding in the bed of a pickup truck in the parking lot of the motel. 

DA Alaniz has called Ortiz a serial killer.   Webb County officials aren't dismissing the possibility there may be more victims.   Ortiz committed a string of murders of women between September 3 and September 15 of women who were presumed to be sex workers. 

The body of 29 year old Melissa Ramirez was found lying on Jefferies Road near TX state highway 255 with multiple gunshot wounds to the head on September 4 in northwest Webb County. 

She was the first of Ortiz's victims, and he admitted to killing the mother of two on September 3

The second victim, 42 year old Claudine Anne Luera, was found shot multiple times in the head and left mortally wounded along TX state highway 255 two miles from where Ramirez's body was discovered.   She was taken to a local hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries.

The last two victims were killed after Pena escaped from Ortiz's truck but before he was finally apprehended bylaw enforcement.   One is a still as yet unidentified Jane Doe whose body was found at the Webb Road underpass of I-35 near mile marker 21.   Her name will be released once next of kin are notified.

The other is 28 year old Nikki Janelle Enriquez.  She is the trans woman who was initially deadnamed and misgendered by law enforcement officials and local media until it was corrected.

She was killed around September 14-15 according to authorities and her body was also found along I-35 at mile marker 15.

Enriquez sadly becomes the 21st trans person to be murdered in the US, the third Latina and the second one in Texas in 2018

Get Well Soon, Arianna!

I first met Arianna Lint during a GLAAD POC Media Training in New York back in September 2012.  I have run into her over the years at many trans conferences across the US including BTAC and from time to time posted her interviews on Spanish language media.

I was horrified, appalled and pissed off  to hear that she was assaulted yesterday at her South Florida area home,  and the attack left her hospitalized with a broken arms that will require surgery.

Arianna is one of the sweetest people you would ever want to meet, and has been putting in the work as a well respected advocate for the trans Latina and HIV+ communities in Florida and nationally with the TransLatina Coalition . 

I'll say it again. Anti-trans hate thoughts + anti-trans hate speech = anti-trans hate violence and murders.   That anti-trans rhetoric you let slide off your lips has real world consequences for transgender people.   The more high profile we are, the bigger the target on our backs.

We advocates are all keenly aware of that point, but we don't let it deter us from doing what needs to be done for our people 

Speaking of things that need to be done,  hopp the waste of DNA who did this is expeditiously caught, punished and does serious jail time.

It is also my hope and prayer that you recover quickly from your injuries, and I get to see you at some event in 2018, or my travels bring me to South Florida.

Get well soon Arianna!

Number 13- Rest In Peace Josie Berrios

Once again, we have lost another US trans woman of color to anti-trans violence in 2017, and sadly she is another trans woman of color.

At 6:58 AM EDT Tuesday morning the burned body of 28 year old Josie Berrios of Ithaca was found in the Breazzano Center building under construction at 209-215 Dryden Avenue in the Collegetown area of Ithaca, NY near the Cornell University campus. .

The body had apparent burns when it was found at the scene along with an accelerant in a gallon can of gasoline that was found at the scene.

Today 45 year old Michael Davis was arrested by the Ithaca Police Department at 10:00 AM EDT and charged with two counts of second degree felony murder and one count of felony arson.

According to reports in the Ithaca Voice, Davis was captured on surveillance video wearing an Alpha Security Bureau uniform and carrying a black duffel bag into the Dryden Avenue building.  Another photo was taken with him wearing the shirt and carrying the duffel bag inside the under construction building and exiting the building later without the shirt

That black duffel bag containing a green lighter and the Alpha Security Bureau shirt was found by IPD at 309 College Avenue.  At Davis' residence Ithaca Police allege they found a plastic bag that contained work gloves and clothing with a strong petroleum smell.

He is being held without bond in the Tompkins County Jail at this time.   Davis is also alleged to have had a personal relationship with Berrios at this time.

The IPD is also asking for as part of its investigation into Berrios' death for information from anyone who was walking or hitchhiking along Ellis Hollow Road, Turkey Creek Road or Ellis Hollow Creek Road between 5:45-6:45 AM EDT on Tuesday.

As i get further information about this heinous crime, I'll pass it on to you TransGriot readers.

Kristina Gomez Reinwald Miami Vigil

February 19th there was a memorial held for Kristina Gomez Reinwald AKA Kristina Grant Infiniti on an unseasonably chilly (for them) Miami night at the Torch of Friendship.

They had a nice turnout for the event, with Arianna Lint commenting on Spanish language TV and our glamorous sis Lauren Foster not only taking part in the event at the Torch of Friendship, also getting some media face time on our community's behalf on their local CBS station.

One thing that marred the ceremony was flyers passed out by the Miami-Dade PD seeking information in the case had an unflattering pic of Kristina and misgendered her. 

Miami area trans peeps are on the case and doing the education with the local po-po's to let them know where they screwed up and ensure it doesn't happen again.

As for the search for justice for Kristina, her killer is unfortunately as of this writing still at large

Anyone with relevant information regarding Kristina Gomez Reinwald’s death is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

And as always, will be keeping you posted with any developments in this case and the other trans murders as I receive them.

Updates In Two 2015 California Trans Murder Cases.

Have some updated information concerning the trans murder cases of Taja DeJesus and Michelle Yazmin Payne, who were murdered in northern and southern California within days of each other.
I'm happy to report there is good news in both of theses California cases in terms of bringing their killers to justice.

In the Michelle Payne case, 25 year Ezekiel Dear, who has been IDed as the boyfriend of Ms. Payne, turned himself into the LAPD 7th Division headquarters at 3:30 PM PST on February 1 accompanied by a pastor and confessed to killing her.

He was arraigned the next day at the Van Nuys courthouse on one felony count each of murder, with a knife-use allegation, and arson of an inhabited structure or property.

Will continue to keep you posted on this case.

Meanwhile, up I-5 in the Bay Area, the Taja DeJesus case has had a interesting twist.in the suspected perpetrator of the murder of our fallen sister being found dead himself.

49 year old James Hayes was found dead on February 2 hanging by the neck from a fence in the 4000 block of Third Street.  

The location was behind a warehouse a half mile from the crime scene where DeJesus was found stabbed to death, and Hayes was still wearing the clothing he wore when he allegedly stabbed Ms. DeJesus.

A die-in was held in front of San Francisco City Hall to protest the DeJesus killing and the murders of other trans women since June in California and elsewhere across the country.

After an operatic rendition of 'Amazing Grace' by Breanna Sinclaire, trans leaders in the San Francisco area called for an end to transphobia fueling these murders.

"We're still being murdered, harassed, and cast aside. We have to show that our lives matter," said Danielle Castro.

Yes they do, Danielle/   #TransLivesMatter.  #BlackTransLivesMatter   #LatinaTransLivesMatter  And let's hope that the people who have committed these heinous crimes aimed at us  are captured, tried and convicted for killing us.

Ahem: #BlackTransLivesMatter

Just a reminder as I head to Denver for Creating Change 2015 in the wake of trans women being attacked by thugs, one being missing for three months and others being murdered from coast to coast.

#BlackTransLivesMatter     #StopTransMurders