He always talked about going to work in Texas. My son did not deserve to die this way, Napolen Seplveda Moreno said in an interview last week. Authorities said a man was killed in the shooting and a woman injured after being shot in the stomach. The warden of a West Texas federal jail for immigrants has been fired after he and a brother allegedly shot at migrants drinking water along a roadside in Hudspeth They drove away and attended a water board meeting. They shot us. It felt like somebody stabbing you in the heart, recalled Mount. I know that. According to its description, it investigates a 2007 serial killer who murdered three people in Sierra Blanca, Tex., "then vanished never to be heard of again. What inflamed the already combustible situation was that the men charged with the shooting were familiar local fixtures: Michael Sheppard, the warden of a deeply troubled private prison in town who works closely with the sheriff, and his twin brother Mark Sheppard, an employee at the county jail that the sheriff runs. The warden at the West Texas Detention Center (WTDC), Sierra Blanca, TX has been terminated due to an off-duty incident unrelated to his employment, Sutterfield said. Mike Sheppard was identified by the News-Express as the warden of the West Texas Detention Center, which is operated by LaSalle Corrections, a private company that is contracted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to run immigration jails nationwide. She told me, you know mom, I really appreciated the fact that you treated me like every other kid and you didnt baby me, Knapp recalled about a conversation with her daughter. A stormy morning gives way to a sunny afternoon. @upandvanished I am sorta annoyed that you all promoted "The Heads of Sierra Blanca" without stating it is fiction. "It's flat, meaning anything that moves, you see it. It doesnt matter how high the ranking goes. They said the men used profanity as they shouted at them to come out and opened fire when they emerged. There was also the fact that Magdalena had never put out a podcast before that raised some brows among seasoned true crime fans. Mounts family feels every year that goes by is another year that someone got away with murder. Around Sierra Blanca, the detention center was known as a good job, paying more than double what was offered at the local jail. "I like the true crime podcasts that are attempting to help people find answers; this podcast is not that," one listener wrote in the Pod Paradise reviews, noting that the podcast should not be classified under the true crime genre. The sprawling surrounding county, home to some 3,200 people, is more than three-quarters Hispanic. 12-year-old Lucas Roulston loved to be outside and had a huge smile. I think nearly anyone who knew the man is really just astonished that he used such poor judgment, he said. struggles to provide sufficient water supplies for its hundreds of inmates. But is The Heads of Sierra Blanca a true story? She felt that they resented her because of her rank and the fact that she was a woman in a leadership position. Michael Sheppard fired two shots with a shotgun, according to the affidavits. Do you think The Heads of Sierra Blanca should have been more forthcoming and transparent? He later told investigators he moved there to be close to where he buried Marys body. Find a Grave: Blanca Adriana Luna (1980 2008). Now it will be a historic site, Another National Guard soldier working Operation Lone Star dies by suspected suicide, Immigration, guns and abortion dominate Abbott, ORourke debate in the Rio Grande Valley, Why theres no invasion happening on the U.S.-Mexico border, Border sheriffs coalition says 'time will tell' if Abbotts terrorist designation bears fruit, Migrant deaths at the U.S.-Mexico border hit a record high, in part due to drownings, Migrants flown from Texas to Massachusetts sue Florida Gov. Agents have been assigned to the case on a full-time basis, and more than 350 interviews have been conducted at locations across the country. She met Mr. Seplveda on her journey. This is problematic because instead of listing the death as an unsolved murder or cold case, it can be written off as a suicide and never investigated again. In an effort to keep CBP.gov current, the archive contains content from a previous administration or is otherwise outdated. The people shot were part of a group of migrants, according to the FBI. The county sheriffs office refused to comment on whether Sheppard is still employed at the jail. The group came out of the brush, they said, because they thought the truck had driven away. EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) The warden of a West Texas jail and his brother have been arrested in connection with the shooting death of a migrant in Hudspeth County, the New York Times reported Thursday.. Later, the murder was blamed on cartels and turf wars, but Magdalena wasn't buying that coverup story. ", He added: "National leaders on both sides of the aisle need to condemn the rhetoric that inspired this attack, and Texas authorities must swiftly prosecute this crime as murder.". Sierra Blanca Border Patrol agents encountered an individual by the name of Marouana Bah, a 30-year-old citizen of France, while conducting immigration inspections on board a passenger bus at the Sierra Blanca Immigration Checkpoint. These individuals need to be held accountable. Neely, the Hudspeth County Judge, said in an interview he was shocked by the shooting. The wounded individual, identified by DPS only as a female, was taken to Del Sol Hospital in El Paso, where she was recovering. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent. Texas Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro called the shooting The soldier is the 10th known Texas Guard member linked to the mission to die since its rapid expansion began in September 2021. Napolen Seplveda Moreno, 56, mourned the death of his son, who he said had hoped to meet up with his brother in Austin, stay a couple of years to make money to support his two young children and then return to Mexico. After Glorias visit to Sheppard AFB, theAir Force released a statement that said deaths are investigated as homicides initially, but that nothing suggests that anyone on base is in danger. This statement is troublesomebecause the murder occurred within the confines of a secure military base. The vehicle linked to the shooting belonged to LaSalle Corrections, according to the Express-News. Violent crimes in Sierra Blanca are 73% higher than the national average. "The preliminary investigation shows that a truck with two men inside pulled over and shot at a group [of] illegal immigrants standing alongside the road getting water," DPS said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner. I hope and pray justice will prevail. Her aunt, Silvia Carrillo, shared an audio recording of a conversation she said she had with Ms. Casias shortly after she was shot. A female immigrant was also shot and is now recovering at Del Sol hospital in El Paso.". According to the affidavits filed, More than 10,000 vehicles travel through the Sierra Blanca checkpoint on a daily basis. Family suspects cover-up in airmans death on base Tuesdays incident drew condemnation from Texas Democratic Party and a caucus of Hispanic lawmakers. The two brothers charged last week in a shooting that killed one person and left another injured near Sierra Blanca were released from the Hudspeth County jail Monday night on bonds of $250,000 each, the county sheriffs office said. Vivek Ramaswamy calls out the brainwashing, indoctrination, and dangers of children gender transitioning, Reporters Notebook: Republicans take a hammer to Dems climate law. McDonald would later admit to stuffing Mounts lifeless body in a duffel bag and hauling it across the country. I am not aware of any message boards regarding this topic. Several listeners of the episodes that are out so far were quick to point out that the show "sounded scripted," and that it seemed fake even though the podcast presented these events as though they were real. As of Tuesday, both men were again in custody, this time closer to home at the Hudspeth County jail. Fans of the podcast 'The Heads of Sierra Blanca' are dying to know whether there is any truth to the murders of Sierra Blanca. I saw them that same night at the water board, nothing out of the ordinary, the sheriff said. Appreciate it! home found his body buried underneath a camper top in his backyard. The killing has prompted outrage among immigrant rights groups, with some tying the shooting to what theyve described as dangerous anti-immigrant political rhetoric. On March 7, 2008, SrA Blanca A. Luna, 27, US Air Force Reserve, was found unresponsive and with injuries consistent with a stab wound in her billeting room at Weve had a lot of serious problems with the illegals coming across getting lost and dying in the desert, said Thomas Neely, 95, the Hudspeth County judge. The vehicle allegedly was assigned to Mike Sheppard and registered to his employer. Authorities believe that these murders were the collateral damage of a cartel turf war that spilled into Mexico. This was murder and attempted murder of people trying to get clean water just because of the color of their skin. Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Anyone can read what you share. The 22-year-old soon slipped into Texas and, with a group of about a dozen migrants, began traversing the parched landscape east of El Paso on foot. The driver leaned on the trucks hood and shot twice at the group and then got back into the truck and drove away. Mike Sheppard was accused of punching a man in the face and kicking him while he was handcuffed on the ground in solitary confinement, according to The Intercept. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. He did not respond to the allegations in 2018 about mistreatment at the jail, nor did he say whether any action had been taken against Mr. Sheppard as a result of the complaints. This is not the first time Mike Sheppard has been accused of endangering the lives of migrants. The detainees, mostly men from Somalia who were in the process of being deported, told the researchers that they had been mistreated by staff members, including the warden. The detention center is in Sierra Blanca, Texas, about four miles north of where the DPS spokesperson said the shooting occurred. Anyone with information regarding the case should call Sheppard Air Force Base security forces at (940) 676-2981 [or Sheppard AFOSI at (940) 676-1852]. They spend a lot of time outdoors. According to one detainee, the Warden Sheppard threatened him and said "Boy, I'm going to show you. Very good site you have here but I was curious if you knew of any message boards that cover the same topics talked about in this article? He then changed his story and said he and his brother "looking for ducks, then changed it to birds, and then to Javelina's." At one point, the driver revved the engine. There's just a little bit of tumbleweeds and things like that. People have died in our state just based on the color of their skin in El Paso three years ago, and now in our neighboring Hudspeth County. The Murder of Military Women Continues If Greg Abbott really cared about public safety, he would immediately condemn these actions and the violent actions of all vigilantes.. Justice for Blanca Luna document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Cold Case: Air Force Reservist SrA Blanca Luna Discovered Stabbed to Death in Base Lodging at Sheppard AFB in Texas(2008), Suspicious death: Student airman with stab wound dies in hospital, Texas Air Force Reservist Found Stabbed to Death in Hotel, Indiana Air Force reservist found fatally stabbed in Texas, Indiana Airman found dead at base in Texas, OSI continues to investigate March 7 death, Mother of Murdered Female Airman To Request Meeting on Oct. 3 with Sheppard Air Force Base officials on Status of Investigation, Blanca Lunas mother went to Texas but learned nothing about her daughters death on an air force base, Dead airmans family unhappy about lack of progress in case, Family suspects cover-up in airmans death on base, 5th Anniversary of Unsolved Murder on Sheppard Air Force Base, Find a Grave: Blanca Adriana Luna (1980 2008), Grozinger Law PA criminal attorney orlando fl. Saturday night shooting in downtown Fort Myers under investigation. TX is 257 (City-Data.com crime index), which is comparable to the U.S. average. Was the DNA collected at the scene compared to the national DNA database (CODIS)? Weve gone from you see a few a week to hundreds crossing property it is like nothing anyone has ever seen, she said. Another added, "The fact that they tried to claim it was true, the website they built has a tip line of sorts at the bottom. She was living in the Chicago, Illinois area and studying Graphic Design. Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Matthew J. Hudak said, This arrest highlights our law enforcement collaboration, including partnerships well beyond our borders. The deputy said Mark Sheppard no longer had a job there. but later changed "him" to "it". The Times reported that a law enforcement official told the newspaper that Michael Sheppard, the warden at the West As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. Military probes reservists slaying Arvin West, the Hudspeth County Sheriff, has not returned multiple calls asking for an update on the case, though West initially told KVIA in El Paso he would be staying away from the investigation.. Distractify is a registered trademark. During the 60-minute event, the candidates stuck to the talking points that have so far dominated this election season. Big Bend Sector Border Patrol agents, patrol 517 miles of the southwest border, an area that extends from Sierra Blanca, Texas to Sanderson, Texas. In late 2005, Andrades family had not heard from him and when they showed up at his. It has a Border Patrol checkpoint and a large Border Patrol presence. "While people need to evaluate what they are hearing I dont think you do yourselves any favors by lying to your audience," they continued. Racially charged murders happen when we promote language and policies that produce hate, said MALC vice-chair and state Rep. Mary Gonzlez, who is from the El Paso area. Greg Abbott. The newest crime podcast to make the rounds is called The Heads of Sierra Blanca. The brothers, meanwhile, later suggested to authorities that they were in the area hunting, though investigators said one of the brothers changed details of his story multiple times. He said he went to Knapps home and stole several things before fleeing the state, buying a shovel along the way and ultimately burying Mount in Sierra Blanca. In a detailed voluntary statement, McDonald said he wanted to make clear he did not murder Mount. Payne Lindsey said on Twitter it was fake. He claimed he and the Lee County Sheriffs Office is actively working on the case, but would not comment on any timeframe for when there would be an arrest. Within three weeks, the Lee County Sheriffs Office located McDonald in Corpus Christi Texas with Mounts car, jewelry and credit cards. County officials said the I.C.E. LockA locked padlock They turned their back on her, said Knapp. Nearby Border Patrol agents assisted the Hudspeth County Sheriffs Department in locating the truck used during the shooting. U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson Landon Hutchens released a statement Friday about the shooting. Mounts family thought the State Attorney would charge McDonald with murder given the abundance of evidence and his conviction in Texas. Feinberg said McDonald is their suspect but the decomposed remains and the various jurisdictions across many states create difficulties in the case. Within weeks of meeting, her family said Mount paid for McDonald to travel from Washington to Florida and purchased a hotel room for him in Cape Coral. This is an ongoing investigation by the Texas Rangers and FBI and no further information is available at this time. Hudspeth County, which sprawls over an area nearly the size of Connecticut, has faced a larger number of migrants trying to cross through the dangerous desert terrain, as the number of people seeking refuge in the United States has climbed sharply over the past few years. Knapp said she was told by the prosecutor at the time that because her daughters body had not been recovered, there werent more serious charges that could be pursued. We were finishing the meeting when the call came in, he added, speaking of the 911 call about the killing. The brothers, who were charged with manslaughter, were in a truck when they pulled over and shot at a group of migrants, according to DPS. SIERRA BLANCA, Texas U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Sierra Blanca Border Patrol Station arrested a citizen of France illegally in the United States and wanted for murder by Interpol, Aug. 6. Our Town: Gloria Barrios Thats not going to bring my boy back to life. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Waitresses in town also remembered Mr. Sheppard objecting to hearing Spanish spoken in his presence while eating. FILE - The warden of a West Texas federal jail for immigrants has been fired after he and a brother allegedly shot at migrants walking along a roadside in Hudspeth County on Sept. 27, killing one and wounding another. The sprawling surrounding county, home to some 3,200 Eventually, the driver revved the trucks engine, fired a gun, climbed back into the truck and drove away. They shot me, Ms. Casias can be heard saying, then adding, They are OK. Its just me and another guy. Agents from the U.S. Border Patrols Sierra Blanca checkpoint were also called to help the Hudspeth County Sheriffs Office locate a female gunshot victim around 9:15 p.m., a spokesperson for the federal agency said. Will Republicans really pick the one candidate Biden can beat? At AFOSIs request, the FBI sent an evidence response team to process the scene immediately after Airman Luna was found, and the two agencies have continued to cooperate in the investigation. Some of the migrants have said they were lured on to the flights with promises of jobs, housing and other benefits. A spokesman for LaSalle Corrections said Sheppard was no longer employed by the company. Authorities believe that these murders were the collateral damage of a cartel turf war that spilled into Mexico. Because this death occurred on a federal installation, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) was the lead on the investigation. One of the alleged shooters is reportedly a warden for a privately run immigration detention center. Dan Patrick (R-TX). He moved in with Felipe Andrade, a man in his early 60s, who according to news reports had a history of taking in transients. The suspects told investigators that they had been driving around hunting and looking for animals, according to the affidavit. by Alejandro Serrano, Uriel J. Garca and William Melhado More than 10,000 vehicles travel through the Sierra Blanca checkpoint on a daily basis. The 'Over My Dead Body' Podcast Is Here to Sate Your 'Dirty John' Withdrawals, 10 True Crime Audiobooks That'll Make You Cancel Your Weekend Plans, Caroline Calloway Tells Her Own Story or, Tries To. Help us secure our homeland, find out more at. Neither of the men went to check if they had struck anything and denied having yelled after exiting the truck. Abbott launched a domestic terrorism taskforce in response to that shooting. And I think Im next., Her aunt replied: Where are you? U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Boston will assume lead in this investigation moving forward. The Sept. 27 killing drew broad condemnation, raising questions about the rule of law in the cactus-studded high plains of West Texas and the real-world impacts of a bitter political divide over how to handle a record number of unauthorized crossings at the southern border. Authorities found the injured woman roughly two hours after the attack. Two of the men were waving and asking for help while a third, was suffering from a gunshot wound to his face. A subsequent investigation by the Office of the Inspector General for the federal Department of Homeland Security could not substantiate the detainees claims. The two suspects were taken into custody and each charged with manslaughter on Thursday, the spokesperson added. The podcast, which came out in September of 2019 is described as "an immersive experience that combines fiction, true crime and real interviews" but it seems like the fiction portion takes the cake. "Given that podcasts are used for all kinds of content both fiction and non-fiction, I think the creators need to be open about what they're making," a redditor noted. See the explanation McDonald gave to police whileMountwas missing. While awaiting trial, Lee County detectives came to Texas to question him once again about Mount. UVALDE ROCKED BY HORRIFIC FATAL CRASH INVOLVING IMMIGRANT SMUGGLER. They arrived around 7:30 p.m., roughly 30 minutes after the shooting. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel. She said someone had been inside her home, and Mounts jewelry and computer were missing. Additionally, Bahs records checks revealed that he had an active Interpol warrant for murder out of France. WebSierra Blanca crime rates are 73% higher than the national average. One of the reasons we filed the report is that it wasnt just one person complaining. Five years later, still with no answers, Gloria Barrios was battling depression and hospitalized. During the recent debate in the race for governor, the Democratic candidate, Beto ORourke, said the killing could be traced to Gov. How do you think Fort Myers Beach should spend its share of $1.1 billion. NWS confirms tornado hit Charlotte County. She was in the Marines. The company spokesman, Scott Sutterfield, said the detention center currently did not have I.C.E. Knapp said she misses her daughters company, especially around the holidays, which is when Mount went missing in 2004. "On Sept. 27, at approximately 9:17 p.m., U.S. Border Patrol Agents from the Sierra Blanca checkpoint received a call for assistance from Hudspeth County Sheriff's Office to help them locate a female gunshot victim after they received a 911 call. The West Texas facility has had a reputation among some within the company as a difficult assignment in part because of its struggles to provide sufficient water supplies for its hundreds of inmates. Addington said he was outraged by the shooting. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Knapp didnt sugar coat her objections either when Mount first met Terry Daniel McDonald in late 2003. The post claiming it was real. The Latino advocacy groups also announced it will ask the U.S. Department of Justice to look into the flights that immigrants rights groups claimed were nothing more than political stunts. The two brothers charged last week in a shooting that killed one person and left another injured near Sierra Blanca were released from the Hudspeth County jail Monday night on bonds of $250,000 each, the county sheriffs office said. A spokesperson for the facility would not confirm the name, but said the warden there had been terminated "due to an off-duty incident unrelated to his employment." All Rights Reserved. The warden at West Texas Detention Center, Sierra Blanca, TX, has been terminated due to an off-duty incident unrelated to his employment, Sutterfield said. Age <10 years 20% 10-17 years 16% 18-24 years 4% More Education Levels National Master's degree There are soldiers killing soldiers on American soil. Sheppard was named in an egregious 2018 report that found officials at the Sierra Blanca jail had abused 80 men in detention. According to the affidavits filed, a group of migrants were "traversing the desert" in a remote area near Sierra Blanca and stopped to drink water out of a water tank in a reservoir. Before leaving for the United States, his son received a small salary caring for farm animals and growing melons in their home of San Martn, several hours south of the border. ABC News has confirmed that one of the men arrested was Mike Sheppard, a former warden at West Texas Detention Center. So, Friday night, theyre demanding action in the cell phone lot at Southwest Florida International Airport. Ive never gone hunting with them. A 2018 report detailed the experience of several Somali migrants that were detained at West Texas Detention Center, where he was the warden. The Sheppard brothers, both 60, were taken into custody late last month, and charged with manslaughter. Addington said Sheppard was known to get mad at people for speaking Spanish around him, and that hed recently seen that happen at the food bank. Theyre looking in the wrong placeI cant express what I feel about these people. My condolences to the family. Sierra Blanca, the county seat of Hudspeth County, is at the intersection of Ranch Road 1111, Interstate Highway 10, and U.S. Highway 80, eighty miles southeast of El Paso in the south central part of the county. Mount was going through a divorce with her husband and moved home with Knapp in the last months of her life. (LogOut/ The truck drove toward the group and then backed up before at least one man got out. A grieving family is remembering their young boy as a ball of energy. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said last week that the woman who was injured was in stable condition and recovering at an El Paso hospital, but the agency has not commented further. They were being held without bond, and no lawyers were listed for them, according to jail officers. Greg Abbott to declare an invasion misread the Constitution and the facts on the ground, says the director of UT Laws Immigration Clinic. No pictures of her in USAF uniform. The U.S. Border Patrol is made up of over 19,000 brave men and women who courageously secure our nations borders. The shooting happened near the small town of Sierra Blanca, Texas. Hundreds have drowned in the Rio Grande or perished from extreme heat in failed smuggling attempts. WebIn 2007, a serial killer inspired by Rube Goldberg murdered Lorena Salas, Carlos Aniceto, and Ana Nuez in Sierra Blanca, Texas then vanished never to be heard of again. DPS is also investigating a second shooting incident involving a migrant in Hudspeth County that happened on Wednesday. The shooting stunned residents of Sierra Blanca and focused renewed attention on the West Texas Detention Center, a county-owned facility run by a private company, LaSalle Corrections, where Michael Sheppard worked as the warden. The detention center is in Sierra Blanca, Texas, about four miles north of where the DPS spokesperson said the shooting occurred. The desolate area near the Mexico border is the last place Dottie Knapp thought her daughter would end up. He and his brother, Mark Sheppard, were arrested, jail records show. You're my b---h" and told another detainee "now you belong to me, boy.". A spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) said the Hudspeth County Sheriff's Office notified them of a shooting death on Tuesday and reported that a preliminary investigation shows that a truck with two men inside pulled over and shot at a group of migrants standing alongside the road getting water. It was a murder, and it was a hate crime.. He was released with time served. The affidavit says he also told agents he asked Mike Sheppard "did you get him?" Hudspeth County officials said they found more than 15 bodies of migrants in the desert last year, an increase from two or three a year in previous years. And then revved the engine. Blancas momwants answers from military officials, and she wants them to classify Lunas death as a homicide and find the culprit. Neely said he didnt know Mike Sheppard well, though he had attended multiple meetings with him about a local water shortage that has at times affected the prison. Grissom Airman found dead in Texas The FBI is asking if anyone has any information or was a witness to the incident, please call the FBI El Paso Field Office at(915) 832-5000or 800-CALL-FBI(800-225-5324) or the Texas Rangers at(915) 849-4000. fun restaurants in orlando for birthdays,
Why Do Hotels Offer Packing And Unpacking Service,
Articles S