Shocking autopsy photos of 4 women allegedly killed by a former US Border Patrol agent were so graphic, they caused a juror to faint in court.
A male juror fell to the ground Monday as Webb County Medical Examiner Dr. Corinne Stern showed the photos of 4 women shot in the top and neck, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
The photos were shown through the sixth day of testimony within the murder case of Juan David Ortiz in San Antonio, Texas. The ex-agent is accused of murdering 4 prostitutes during a 12-day killing spree in 2018. A fifth woman — who’s a star witness on the trial — claims she would have been his next victim if she had not managed to flee.
A pant was heard from the jury box as fellow jurors rushed over to assist the unconscious man. The pale-looking juror was examined by the medical expert, who determined that he was okay, and he was later excused from jury service. An alternate juror took his place.
The murders took place within the Texas border city of Laredo, however the trial was moved to San Antonio attributable to extensive media coverage. Prosecutors said Ortiz admitted to knowing three of the ladies he’s accused of killing. They claim Ortiz told investigators he would help them buy drugs, then have sex with them.
Relations wept in court because the medical expert detailed the victims’ causes of death. Melissa Ramirez, 29, Claudine Anne Luera and Humberto Ortiz, 28 — a transgender woman who went by Janelle Ortiz — were all shot to death.
Guiselda Alicia Hernandez, 35, died of blunt force trauma to the top from an object the medical expert was not in a position to discover. Their 4 bodies were discovered in rural Laredo in September 2018.
The fifth woman, Erika Pena, testified how Ortiz tried to shoot her while parked in his truck after an altercation with him. She was in a position to escape shirtless and ran to a Texas state trooper in search of help.
Prosecutors will not be in search of the death penalty for Ortiz, on the request of the victims’ families, who consider a death sentence could be “letting him off easy.”
Ortiz has pleaded not guilty to the crimes and the trial continues.
Shocking autopsy photos of 4 women allegedly killed by a former US Border Patrol agent were so graphic, they caused a juror to faint in court.
A male juror fell to the ground Monday as Webb County Medical Examiner Dr. Corinne Stern showed the photos of 4 women shot in the top and neck, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
The photos were shown through the sixth day of testimony within the murder case of Juan David Ortiz in San Antonio, Texas. The ex-agent is accused of murdering 4 prostitutes during a 12-day killing spree in 2018. A fifth woman — who’s a star witness on the trial — claims she would have been his next victim if she had not managed to flee.
A pant was heard from the jury box as fellow jurors rushed over to assist the unconscious man. The pale-looking juror was examined by the medical expert, who determined that he was okay, and he was later excused from jury service. An alternate juror took his place.
The murders took place within the Texas border city of Laredo, however the trial was moved to San Antonio attributable to extensive media coverage. Prosecutors said Ortiz admitted to knowing three of the ladies he’s accused of killing. They claim Ortiz told investigators he would help them buy drugs, then have sex with them.
Relations wept in court because the medical expert detailed the victims’ causes of death. Melissa Ramirez, 29, Claudine Anne Luera and Humberto Ortiz, 28 — a transgender woman who went by Janelle Ortiz — were all shot to death.
Guiselda Alicia Hernandez, 35, died of blunt force trauma to the top from an object the medical expert was not in a position to discover. Their 4 bodies were discovered in rural Laredo in September 2018.
The fifth woman, Erika Pena, testified how Ortiz tried to shoot her while parked in his truck after an altercation with him. She was in a position to escape shirtless and ran to a Texas state trooper in search of help.
Prosecutors will not be in search of the death penalty for Ortiz, on the request of the victims’ families, who consider a death sentence could be “letting him off easy.”
Ortiz has pleaded not guilty to the crimes and the trial continues.
