DA: Border agent may have used service handgun to kill women

LAREDO, Texas – Prosecutors say crime scene evidence suggests a U.S. Border Patrol agent used his service handgun to kill four women whose bodies were found along remote roadsides in South Texas.

In a statement issued Thursday, District Attorney Isidro Alaniz says the .40-calibre shell casings found at all four scenes “are consistent with the agency issued handgun.” However, Alaniz says scientific testing is needed to confirm such a match.

Border agent Juan David Ortiz was arrested Sept. 15 on several charges, including four counts of murder. He awaits trial in Webb County Jail in Laredo with bonds totalling $2.5 million.

A Border Patrol spokesman referred questions back to Alaniz. Messages left with Ortiz’s attorney, Joey Tellez of Laredo, weren’t returned.