CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER. Ms. Casias is from San Jos de Bellavista, a small town an hour and a half from San Martn. Prior to that incident, ICE had investigated how detainees were forced to use plastic bags for toilets and killed a rattlesnake in their sleeping quarters because staff would not take action. Did you get him? Mark Sheppard recalled asking his brother, in his statements to investigators, before changing the word him to it, according to the affidavit. SIERRA BLANCA, Texas U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Sierra Blanca Border Patrol Station ", The eight-episode podcast is hosted by one of the victims' nieces, Magdalena Salas, who reports alongside a private investigator to research "what really happened and who is responsible.". "There was no way for the killers to know who their victims were or what their legal status was," Castro said in a statement. "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. This killing was not vigilante justice, Democratic Party Chairman Gilbert Hinojosa said. A stormy morning gives way to a sunny afternoon. And I didnt see their demeanor change.. 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. A county court clerk in El Paso said there were no documents available yet because the men were recently booked. McDonald would later admit to stuffing Mounts lifeless body in a duffel bag and hauling it across the country. The Texas Democratic Party and the Mexican-American Legislative Caucus on Thursday issued rebukes of the incident, and called for immigration reform instead of rhetoric that encourages violence against migrants. They are good guys. He told agents Mike Sheppard fired two rounds from a shotgun. For local and breaking news, sports, weather alerts, video and more, download the FREE KTSM 9 News App from theApple App Storeor theGoogle Play Store. San Antonio Reddit users call out local businesses to boycott, The tragic case of an S.A.-area dentist and his Miami patient, SpaceX will be ready for launch in six to eight weeks, Musk says, H-E-B family listed among worlds richest people by Forbes, SAWS will pay you to rip out 'boring turf', H-E-B family, SpaceX and S.A.s best restaurants top weeks news, Internet says $40 at Texas Roadhouse can last you a week, 5 found shot 'execution style' in home in San Jacinto County. Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. The migrants had been drinking from a water tank along the roadside and tried to hide behind the tank during the incident late Tuesday. The Sierra Blanca Station area of responsibility consists of more than half of Hudspeth County or about 2,500 square miles. Keep reading to find out. Border Patrol agents, patrol 517 miles of the southwest border, an area that extends from Sierra Blanca, Texas to Sanderson, Texas. 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. It found that officers used racist epithets and engaged in hate crimes. She was taken to a local hospital in Wichita Falls where she died shortly thereafter. 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. The U.S. Border Patrol is made up of over 19,000 brave men and women who courageously secure our nations borders. 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. Border Report reached out to DPS for confirmation of the victims But for 14 years, Mounts case has remained an open investigation. AFOSI has been the lead investigative agency since Airman Lunas death. The group hid when a truck approached. As of Tuesday, both men were again in custody, this time closer to home at the Hudspeth County jail. Bah was processed according to the applicable immigration laws. UPDATE:After the first report on this story in May 2018, WINK News obtained exclusive interrogation video with murder suspect Terry Daniel McDonald. The driver leaned on the trucks hood and shot twice at the group and then got back into the truck and drove away. The short answer to the question of whether The Heads of Sierra Blanca is based on a true story is no, and believe us when we say we tried to find even a slightly similar murder story occurring around or before 2007 in Texas. Mr. Seplveda suffered a fatal gunshot to the head. Warden of Texas immigrant jail fired after arrest for shooting 2 migrants, SAPD calls: Body in flooded creek; man dead after hit by train. How do you think Fort Myers Beach should spend its share of $1.1 billion. 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. Anna Giaritelli, Homeland Security Reporter, Freedom House undermines mission by downplaying genocide and terror. In 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. Joanna Mackenzie, the county administrator and also its emergency manager, said officials found more than 15 bodies of migrants in the desert last year, an increase from two or three a year in previous years. Age <10 years 20% 10-17 years 16% 18-24 years 4% More Education Levels National Master's degree They shot us. A male migrant was fatally shot, a Texas DPS spokesperson said. Marshals, county records showed. Marfa Public Radio. Anyone can read what you share. While awaiting trial, Lee County detectives came to Texas to question him once again about Mount. Knapp didnt sugar coat her objections either when Mount first met Terry Daniel McDonald in late 2003. According to a DPS spokesperson, a DPS trooper encountered three males in the center median of Interstate 10. Vivek Ramaswamy calls out the brainwashing, indoctrination, and dangers of children gender transitioning, Reporters Notebook: Republicans take a hammer to Dems climate law. Additionally, Bahs records checks revealed that he had an active Interpol warrant for murder out of France. County officials said the I.C.E. The Intercept reported the allegations more than four years ago. She felt like this is a good thing. 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. They were identified as Mike Thomas Sheppard and Mark Edward Sheppard, both 60. Their families were in Ciudad Jurez, across the border from El Paso, this week, demanding justice for the shooting. Do you value our journalism? Some people in town have expressed shock, saying the brothers had never displayed any sort of racial animus. Its like theyre playing with my mind, giving me bad information. -Gloria Barrios (Blancas mom). The Murder of Military Women Continues She met Mr. Seplveda on her journey. Bill Addington a Sierra Blanca resident, activist and critic of the local prison said he didnt know either of the brothers very well, but he did interact with Mark Sheppard on a regular basis at a weekly food bank event. But he waited until last week to create a cartel division at Texas DPS. 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. They shot me, Ms. Casias can be heard saying, then adding, They are OK. Its just me and another guy. Sierra Blanca abandoned truck stop was the second scariest place weve stayed. They said they did not go to see if they had in fact hit a target. 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.. did not respond to a request for comment. Violent crimes in Sierra Blanca are 73% higher than the national average. The Hudspeth County Clerks office said Monday afternoon it still had not received any documents and had no case against the brothers formally docketed. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Lt. Gov. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. When they looked to see if the vehicle had driven away, they heard the two gunshots. But if you would like to submit something, please send to militaryjusticeforall@gmail.com, Since when did Air Force personnel start wearing Marine Corps uniforms. The public defender successfully moved to keep out information regarding any speculation that Mary was dead. 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. The Lee County Sheriffs Office is holding a press conference regarding an arrest after a deadly Sunday morning shooting in Lehigh Acres. But I dont want other people to suffer the way that we are suffering.. The family says Sepulveda is the man who was shot and killed last month in Sierra Blanca, Texas. Gov. Our Town: Gloria Barrios home found his body buried underneath a camper top in his backyard. Most agreed that they just wanted transparency and would have given this podcast a listen if it hadn't been trying to pass for something it wasn't. Its been over a decade since the man who was last seen with Blancas mom feels that this is a cover-up. Air Force Identifies Murdered Reservist The group took cover to avoid being detected when a vehicle approached. AUSTIN, Texas Two men were arrested and charged with manslaughter after an immigrant was killed and another injured when they were shot at while drinking water on the side of a road near a Texas border town. I said now you got a body, what are you going to do?. Six months after her death, no official determination was made as to the manner of death: homicide, suicide, or accident. 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. On at least one occasion, Sheriff West filled in as warden at the facility when Mr. Sheppard was out of town, according to the inspector generals report, and some of those who worked with them described the two men as friends. Fans of true crime podcasts weren't impressed that the creators of The Heads of Sierra Blanca weren't forthcoming with the lack of truth behind their story. The AFOSI referred to the death as a homicide in the media in the early stages of the investigation. The information is gathered by experienced and trusted Nexstar Media Group journalists hired specifically to cover the border. A subsequent investigation by the Office of the Inspector General for the federal Department of Homeland Security could not substantiate the detainees claims. The El Paso District Attorneys Office, which would prosecute the case, said Wednesday police had not yet presented the office with a case to prosecute. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. When they interviewed his brother, Mark Sheppard, he initially said he was never at the location where the shooting happened. They spend a lot of time outdoors. All inquiries are being referred to the Texas Rangers and FBI," the statement read. Border Patrol, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations helped in the inquiry. The station is responsible for 73 border miles between the U.S. and Mexico. This is just another example of how President Biden's open border policies continue endangering lives. "One male immigrant was shot and killed," their statement read. On reddit, listeners didn't hold back at voicing their discontent. 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. The survey, conducted by the Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler, also shows most Texans are concerned about gun violence, but reflects Gov. That is a hellhole place, said Gregory Johnson, a former assistant warden at a different LaSalle prison in Texas, describing the West Texas Detention Center. Death on the Border: Were Twin Brothers Hunting Migrants or Wildlife? 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]. Once you get to know them, they are nice people.. Murder 6.1 Rape 40.7 Robbery 135.5 Property Crimes Calculated annually per 100,000 residents National Burglary 500.1 Theft 2,042.8 Motor Vehicle Theft 284 Residents Diversity B Based on ethnic and economic diversity. Help us secure our homeland, find out more at. Two brothers were arrested in connection to the shooting that occurred Tuesday on FM 1111 in Hudspeth County, approximately four miles south of Sierra Domingo Garca, president of LULAC, the largest and oldest Latino civil rights organization says the shootings are the result of anti-immigrant rhetoric displayed by conservative politicians including Texas Gov. 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. Javelinas are similar-looking to hogs. Michael Sheppard fired two shots with a shotgun, according to the affidavits. 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. 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. Fiesta crowd to top 2.5 million despite rain canceling SpaceX will be ready for launch in six to eight weeks, Airport-to-downtown tunnel project still on the table, No one is driving this taxi. We were speaking Spanish, and Mark said, Dont speak Spanish around me, said Bill Addington, 65, a longtime resident who volunteered at a local food bank where Mr. Sheppard would supervise county inmates on work detail in striped uniforms. contract had been ended because of the water issues, which stemmed from a problem obtaining adequate supply from a nearby town. Suddenly the truck stopped, backed up and stopped again. Tuesdays incident drew condemnation from Texas Democratic Party and a caucus of Hispanic lawmakers. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. The affidavit says migrants told federal agents they overheard one of the men yell in Spanish something to the effect of "Come out you sons of b----s, little a--s!" "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. In Sierra Blanca you have a 1 The two suspects were taken into custody and each charged with manslaughter on Thursday, the spokesperson added. Gloriahad questions about the bruises, defensive wounds, and the fluid found near Blancas groin but never received any answers. See the explanation McDonald gave to police whileMountwas missing. Scott Sutterfield, a spokesperson for LaSalle Corrections, said in a statement that Sheppard no longer worked for the company. but later changed "him" to "it". A spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, which includes the Texas Rangers, said the brothers were in a truck on FM 1111, about 4 miles south of Sierra Blanca, when they pulled over and the pair got out and allegedly fired at least two shots at four migrants. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. A female immigrant was also shot and is now recovering at Del Sol hospital in El Paso.". Three days after Mr. Seplveda texted his father that he had made it across the border, the group stopped for water at a small pond along a rural road. At a time when newsroom resources and revenue across the country are declining, The Texas Tribune remains committed to sustaining our mission: creating a more engaged and informed Texas with every story we cover, every event we convene and every newsletter we send. She was living in the Chicago, Illinois area and studying Graphic Design. When Blancas body arrived in Chicago, the family observed bruises on Blancas face as if she had been punched or had fallen and scratches between her fingers that appeared to be defensive wounds. She said someone had been inside her home, and Mounts jewelry and computer were missing. The Texas Tribune reported that the agency also suggested additional charges against the brothers could be forthcoming, saying ICE would continue to investigate the case and will pursue state murder charges and any other potential federal crimes. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar has said shes asking the Justice Department to investigate the shooting as a hate crime. 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. When two migrants were shot on a roadside in West Texas, the police arrested two suspects: The warden of a troubled private prison, and his brother, a local jail employee. The area was believed to be haunted by the ghost of an 18-year-old employee, Frank Guzman Jr., who was killed in 1985 while trying to recover a park guest's cap from a roller coaster track. As this is an active and ongoing investigation by the Texas Rangers, DPS said. The brothers, the Sheppards, were taken into custody and remain in jail in El Paso. He denied yelling anything. Ive never gone hunting with them. Mount was going through a divorce with her husband and moved home with Knapp in the last months of her life. Garca grew up near the region where these two shootings occurred this week. One of the places severely damaged by Hurricane Ian was Fort Myers Beach, and seven months later, theres still more to do, but theyve come a long way. The affidavit says he also told agents he asked Mike Sheppard "did you get him?" 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. Our faith tells us to love thy neighbor, she said. By, A service of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, dangerous anti-immigrant political rhetoric, How an anti-abortion campaign overtook a reproductive rights club on one Texas campus, Always on our minds: Austin celebrates 90 years of Willie Nelson, Severe storms are moving through the Austin area, More than a third of Texas prisons don't have air conditioning. A spokesman for I.C.E. I saw them that same night at the water board, nothing out of the ordinary, the sheriff said. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Greg Abbotts hateful rhetoric on immigration. WINK News reached out to McDonald and his attorney for comment but did not hear back. It has a Border Patrol checkpoint and a large Border Patrol presence. No pictures of her in USAF uniform. Mounts family thought the State Attorney would charge McDonald with murder given the abundance of evidence and his conviction in Texas. Blanca Lunas mother went to Texas but learned nothing about her daughters death on an air force base Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Matthew J. Hudak said, This arrest highlights our law enforcement collaboration, including partnerships well beyond our borders. "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. Sierra Blanca is an hours drive east of El Paso, along Interstate 10. My son did not deserve to die this way, Napolen Seplveda Moreno said in an interview last week. This has been the deadliest year ever for migrants trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. This is a military base highly secured. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. I can start a new life, a new future with somebody and this guy he fit the bill, said Steve Knapp. Addington said he was outraged by the shooting. They also follow years of complaints by immigrants against Michael Sheppard, who was the warden at the West Texas Detention Center in Sierra Blanca, Texas. Weve gone from you see a few a week to hundreds crossing property it is like nothing anyone has ever seen, she said. This is an ongoing investigation by the Texas Rangers and FBI and no further information is available at this time. The guy died. It's time for President Biden to do his job and stop this humanitarian crisis by securing our southern border. Case files from the Andrade Murder show that he didnt tell them anything at first. More than 10,000 vehicles travel through the Sierra Blanca checkpoint on a daily basis. A truck with two men inside pulled over and shot at a group of migrants getting water along a road near the town of Sierra Blanca on Tuesday, according to the statement. The mission of BorderReport.com is to provide real-time delivery of the untold local stories about people living, working and migrating along the U.S. border with Mexico. They were then rearrested the following day, Deputy Salgado said, after the Texas Rangers issued a warrant on new charges related to the shooting: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Appreciate it! Theyre looking in the wrong placeI cant express what I feel about these people. The shooting happened near the small town of Sierra Blanca, Texas. I said were not talking about you man, and we can talk Spanish all we damn well want., Neely said he had never heard or had any indication that they were terribly racist type people or anything like that.. He was released with time served. And I think Im next., Her aunt replied: Where are you? 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 Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas three days prior to graduating and heading back home. struggles to provide sufficient water supplies for its hundreds of inmates. Court records, however, did not show either of the men had been formally charged as of Thursday afternoon with a crime. In 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 TX is 257 (City-Data.com crime index), which is comparable to the U.S. average. The Air Force cannot guarantee the bases safety when they do not even know who committed the crime. 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. This wanted international fugitive attempted to remain in the U.S. illegally and was stopped by the diligent work of our Border Patrol agents.. The brothers reportedly told law enforcement they were looking for animals to shoot. But the migrants told investigators that the two men had taunted them in Spanish as they were hiding. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android. Then transferred to AF Reserves. One of the men emerged with a gun and opened fire, fatally striking Mr. Seplveda, wounding a young Mexican woman and making the southern border region around Sierra Blanca a new focal point in the nations increasingly contentious immigration debate. Its been over a decade since the man who was last seen with Mary Mount led investigators to the shallow grave where he had left her body near Sierra Blanca, Texas. Her younger brother, Steve, described her as being in a very vulnerable state when she met McDonald in a chatroom for a fantasy adventure game. All so gross. 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. Austin Music Experience | All Austin musicians and artists | KUTX HD2, Texas Music Experience | Listen anytime at tmx.fm | KUTX HD3, Texas Public Radio | I saw that in the aftermath in El Paso," Garca said, referencing the 2019 mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, where shooter targeting Latinos shot and killed 23 people. Saturday night shooting in downtown Fort Myers under investigation. On Friday afternoon, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) called the incident a "hate crime against brown-skinned immigrants that was inspired by the invasion rhetoric" from Gov. Fans of the podcast 'The Heads of Sierra Blanca' are dying to know whether there is any truth to the murders of Sierra Blanca. Yet, the words and vitriol used against Latinos and migrants are leading to murder. Murder on the Base? The desolate area near the Mexico border is the last place Dottie Knapp thought her daughter would end up. 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. LockA locked padlock All rights reserved. He moved in with Felipe Andrade, a man in his early 60s, who according to news reports had a history of taking in transients. These individuals need to be held accountable. If the Butlers had known that five people have recently disappeared from the SIERRA BLANCA - A Hudspeth County jury found Terlingua man Tony Flint not guilty of all charges Tuesday night, following three and a half hours of deliberation, Sutterfield did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Thursday about those previous allegations or Mike Sheppards continued employment after they were made. The migrants (kcbd.com) Mount wasnt answering her phone, and eventually the calls would go straight to voicemail. During the 60-minute event, the candidates stuck to the talking points that have so far dominated this election season. DPS is also investigating a second shooting incident involving a migrant in Hudspeth County that happened on Wednesday. The fatal confrontation took place on Tuesday night near the town of Sierra Blanca in west Texas. Mark Sheppard said they thought they had seen a javelina and stopped the truck. The Times reported that a law enforcement official told the newspaper that Michael Sheppard, the warden at the West Even though Mary had not been seen or heard from by her family or friends in weeks, the State Attorney did not charge McDonald with anything related to her disappearance. "We sounded the alarm in 2018 about Warden Sheppard, but ICE failed to address his egregious behavior and the inhumane and racist treatment of African migrants in the facility. 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. She was taken to Del Sol Hospital in El Paso. Change). Who turned off the cameras? "The division and fear that Greg Abbott and his fellow bigots have created has made Texas a more dangerous place for all Hispanics. Details The Debrief with Hugo Gurdon: Why nobody wants a rematch of Trump and Biden in 2024, Reporters Notebook: Biden makes 2024 campaign official. Family suspects cover-up in airmans death on base 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. 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. A K-9 unit sits outside the Hudspeth County Sheriffs Office in 2010. There was also the fact that Magdalena had never put out a podcast before that raised some brows among seasoned true crime fans. Because this death occurred on a federal installation, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) was the lead on the investigation.