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Open Court: The trial of Juan David Ortiz, ex-Border Patrol agent accused of murdering 4 women

In-depth look at the case and trial for a man accused of being a serial killer

The trial of Juan David Ortiz is a Webb County capital murder case that was moved to Bexar County after a change of venue was granted by a judge.

Ortiz is accused of the murders of four women found dead just north of Laredo. He is also facing a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful restraint.

Melissa Ramirez, Claudine Ann Luera, Humberto "Janelle" Ortiz and Guiselda Cantu were all killed in Webb Co. (Copyright 2022 by KSAT - All rights reserved.)

This trial at first was a death penalty case but the lead prosecutor on the case, Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz, recently took capital punishment off the table.

He said that the families of the victims all agreed to this change and it would also shorten the trial from four weeks to about two weeks.

As Ortiz awaits his fate, KSAT Reporter Erica Hernandez recaps the events that led up to his arrest and also a look at what we can expect from the upcoming trial.

This KSAT exclusive, available in the player at the top of the article, also features a one-on-one interview with the mother of one of the victims.

You can also watch this special on KSAT Plus and KSAT’s YouTube channel.

Make sure to return for our trial coverage starting Nov. 28, we will live stream this trial gavel to gavel.

Juan David Ortiz trial set to begin Nov. 28. (Copyright 2022 by KSAT - All rights reserved.)

About the Authors
Erica Hernandez headshot

Erica Hernandez is an Emmy award-winning journalist with 15 years of experience in the broadcast news business. Erica has covered a wide array of stories all over Central and South Texas. She's currently the court reporter and cohost of the podcast Texas Crime Stories.

Misael Gomez headshot

Misael started at KSAT-TV as a photojournalist in 1987.

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