LAREDO, Texas (AP) — A U.S. Border Patrol agent suspected of killing four prostitutes was arrested early Saturday after a fifth woman managed to escape from him and notify the authorities, law enforcement officials said, describing the agent as a "serial killer."
Juan David Ortiz, an intel supervisor for the Border Patrol, fled from state troopers and was found hiding in a hotel parking lot in Laredo at around 2 a.m. Saturday, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said at a news conference in the border city about 145 miles (235 kilometers) southwest of San Antonio. He said investigators have "very strong evidence" that he is responsible for the deaths of the four women.
The county's district attorney, Isidro Alaniz, described Ortiz as a serial killer. Authorities didn't disclose the victims' names or nationalities and they declined to discuss the evidence or say how the women were killed.
He said his office plans to charge Ortiz with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated kidnapping.