The peace and quiet in an affluent, historic Central El Paso neighborhood was shattered by gunfire during a violent attack in Nov. 2020. Georgette Kaufmann, a respected state attorney and beloved mother and wife, was killed. Her husband Daniel was shot, but survived. The gunman escaped into the night, not to be found for almost a year. The suspect’s alleged motive leads investigators – and many in the community – to believe he targeted the couple for their political beliefs.

Attacker Shoots Couple, Kills Wife in Act of Suspected Political Extremism

The date between Erika Gaytan and Ricardo Marquez to a concert ended with Gaytan not returning home. Her family immediately believed something terrible happened to the 29-year-old woman; her mother said there was no way she would abandon her 7-year-old son. Continuous searches throughout El Paso – including in the sprawling desert east of the city – did not yield her remains. Despite her body not being found and a cause of death unknown, police arrested and charged Marquez with her murder. Could the 28-year-old’s behavior leading up to and after Gaytan’s disappearance be enough to convince a jury he is a killer?

“We Want to Find Her Body:” The Disappearance and Death of Erika Gaytan

An Army vet who survived combat in Afghanistan was murdered in El Paso.  Tyler Croke was in the shower at a friend’s apartment when he was ambushed, held at gunpoint, then brutally killed.
A total of five people – some of them soldiers – were arrested and charged with Tyler’s murder. El Paso police investigators said they had wanted to rob Tyler of the drugs he had been selling.
And five years later, only two suspects have been sentenced.
The family of the murdered veteran fears justice may be out of reach as concerns emerge from on all sides of the case.

“We Feel Victimized All Over Again:” Veteran’s Murder Unresolved After Five Years

In this special episode of Borderland Crimes, ABC-7 talks with one of the survivors of the massacre at Las Cruces Bowl on the 32nd anniversary of the crime.
Ida Holguin recounts the morning two men held her and six others at gunpoint, shooting them and leaving them for dead. Three of the five who died were children.
If you have information in the case, you can call Las Cruces Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.
For a full retelling of this case, listen to episode #6 of Borderland Crimes called "Massacre at Las Cruces Bowl: America's Largest Unsolved Mass Shooting."

32 Years Later and Still No Resolution in Las Cruces Bowling Alley Massacre

RJ Franco was shot to death outside of a bar in east El Paso on Jan. 29, 2017. The moments leading up to the shooting, as well as the shooting itself, were caught on surveillance camera and the suspect was arrested at the scene. The suspect, Moises Galvan, told police he shot Franco in self-defense. Nearly 5 years after the shooting, Galvan remains in jail as both he and Franco’s parents await justice. There was a mistrial in 2019, and no retrial date is on the calendar. Now, the state of Texas is officially investigating the judge’s handling of the case.

A Murder Case, a Mistrial and Misconduct Allegations: The Death of RJ Franco

A little girl got separated from her family during a holiday shopping trip to a busy retail store and seemed to vanish into thin air. Dread settled in for her family and the entire community once surveillance camera video emerged, showing the 5-year-old girl walking out of the store with an unknown man. The girl was found dead the following morning. It’s a case that traumatized a community and reminded parents that danger really can hide in plain sight.

Lured from the Toy Aisle: The Kidnapping and Murder of Alexandra Flores

The murder of Robert Rocha, 43, has remained unsolved for nearly three decades. The retired U.S. Navy veteran and father of three daughters was found shot to death at Mesilla Dam outside Las Cruces, NM, on June 28, 1994. The Dona Ana County Sheriff's detectives still haven't arrested and charged anyone with the crime. But Rocha's daughter thinks someone who was once close to her father -- and is well known by the entire family -- has information that could break open the case. If you have information on this case, call Las Cruces Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).

Blood and Heartbreak: A Murder by the Rio Grande Goes Unsolved for 27 Years

When Gloria Marmolejo, a 54-year-old mom and grandmother, was found dead in the southern New Mexico desert in the summer of 2009, her family pleaded for the community’s help to find whoever murdered her. But investigators with the El Paso Police Department believed her son, David, was the killer -- and they learned he was hiding other secrets big enough to destroy his family.
If you are in a violent relationship or someone you know is in a dangerous situation, call The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800.799.SAFE (7233) or visit www.thehotline.org. You can also call El Paso's Center Against Sexual and Family Violence at (915) 593-7300 or visit casfv.org.

“We Don’t Know Who Can Have That Kind of Hate:” Family Torn Apart After Son Murders Mother

An El Paso woman learned a horrible secret about her family: her great-grandfather had been massacred, along with 14 other men and boys, on Jan. 28, 1918. When Arlinda Valencia learned who was to blame for the terrible act, she realized more needed to be done to expose the dark past of a legendary law enforcement agency, the Texas Rangers.
Learn more about the massacre: https://www.porvenirmassacre.org/
 

A Mass Murder and a Cover-up: The Massacre at Porvenir, TX

In the summer of 1987, a serial killer stalked the streets of El Paso, Texas. The bodies of six teenage girls and young women were found buried in the desert in the northeast outskirts of town.
All had been reported missing earlier that year.
An extensive investigation led police to David Leonard Wood, a former convict recently behind bars for rape. Wood was sentenced to death. But 33 years have passed and he remains on death row, proclaiming his innocence as his attorneys - and families of the victims - fight for their versions of justice.
Borderland Crimes is sponsored by University Medical Center of El Paso.

Deaths in the Desert: A Serial Killer's Personal Graveyard

On Jan. 26, 2019, Terrance Kinard Jr. was shot outside a house party in Northeast El Paso.
The case has gone unsolved despite there likely being many witnesses to the murder of the 20-year-old father and aspiring rapper.
His parents are opening up about their pain, their plea for justice and the troubling conflicts their son was experiencing in the months before his death.
If you have information about this case, call El Paso Crime Stoppers at (915) 566-8477.

”It was a set-up for my son to die:” The unsolved murder of Terrance Kinard, Jr.

Michelle Grady is one of the dozens of people who was shot on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019, at a Walmart superstore in El Paso, Texas. She survived, but 23 people were killed. The shooter is facing nearly 100 charges, including federal hate crime charges, accused of targeting Hispanics. This is a story of survival and recovery in the year since the Cielo Vista Walmart massacre.

"We Feel Like We're Being Hunted:" 23 Killed at El Paso Walmart in Suspected Hate Crime

In 1995, a woman’s spray-painted body parts, including her severed head, were found across town.
Police in El Paso, Texas, didn't know who she was.
Investigators made an unprecedented request of local newsrooms in the hopes of identifying her, and finding who killed and dismembered her.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-7233
El Paso Center Against Sexual & Family Violence Crisis Line: (915) 593-7300
Love Is Respect: text LOVEIS to 22522

“This is Bizarre:” Police Ask Local TV News Outlets to Broadcast a Decapitated Head

On Feb. 10, 1990, two men shot seven people while robbing a bowling alley in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Four of the victims died. Three of the dead were children, ages 13, 6 and 2. All of the victims were shot at point-blank range. Thirty years have passed and the killers have yet to be brought to justice in what is now one of the bloodiest mass shootings in the nation. If you have information in the case, you can call Las Cruces Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.

Massacre at Las Cruces Bowl: America’s Largest Unsolved Mass Shooting

A college professor was found shot to death on a sidewalk. Detectives learn the victim and his ex-wife were in the midst of a custody battle so bitter, months before his murder she had secretly fled to Mexico with their daughter. Around that time, the professor's former father-in-law was looking for a 'sicario,' someone who would kill for money. The murder investigation expands into an international search for the victim's missing daughter.

Killing for Custody: The Life and Death of Bill Wolff

Marinda Palacios saw her friend, Rick Madrigal, get shot to death by her boyfriend.
Leonel Hernandez was convicted of Rick's murder.
Months after podcast host Stephanie Valle reached out to Marinda, she talks about what happened that night, the hours she spent with the killer after the murder, and how she was accused of murder by Leonel's own defense team.

Witness to a Murder: An update on the Life and Death of Rick Madrigal

A former radio DJ lays dead inside his apartment. Detectives believe his death is connected to a tip about a case of a possible kidnapping and murder. The investigation uncovered a twisted relationship that may have entangled the victim and led to his death.

“Hey, are you alive?”: The life and death of Rick Madrigal

Welcome to a podcast that’s made for the Borderland, a corner of the U.S. Southwest where Texas, New Mexico and old Mexico meet. This brief episode is a taste of what's to come: in-depth storytelling focusing on the some of the area's notorious crimes and those behind them. Listen and subscribe. Produced by KVIA-TV, ABC-7 and longtime journalist and former court reporter Stephanie Valle.

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