S3|E5: Squared Away

Summary

Gone South: Season 3, Episode 5 – "Squared Away"

Introduction

In the fifth episode of Season 3 of Gone South, hosted by Jed Lipinski and produced by Audacy Podcasts, listeners are taken deep into the harrowing case of Juan David Ortiz—a Border Patrol supervisor, military veteran, and father of two—who spirals into a path of serial murder. Titled "Squared Away," this episode delves into the complexities of Ortiz's life, his interactions with law enforcement, and the unraveling of his seemingly impeccable façade.

Setting the Scene

The episode opens with Juan David Ortiz sitting alone in the Webb County Sheriff's interrogation room. Through the narration, listeners are introduced to Ortiz’s attempt to mock his situation by laughing about outrunning state troopers who pursued him. Ortiz's confident demeanor contrasts sharply with the gravity of the situation he finds himself in.

Juan David Ortiz [01:30]: "I was fucking running, dude."

Ortiz’s Background and Interrogation Dynamics

As investigators Calderon and Silenas enter the room, the narrative shifts to explore Ortiz’s background. Ortiz is portrayed as a physically imposing individual with a military crew cut, casually dressed yet restrained by handcuffs. His refusal to request an attorney reflects a common misconception among law enforcement that understanding someone’s background implicitly grants them the ability to navigate out of legal troubles through talking.

Investigator [02:06]: "He freely chose to continue talking to us."

Despite his authoritative background as a military veteran and border intelligence supervisor, Ortiz remains enigmatic. His extensive experience hints at a deep understanding of investigative tactics and interrogation techniques, making his resistance even more perplexing for Calderon.

Cracks in the Facade: Personal Struggles

The interrogation reveals Ortiz’s personal struggles, providing insight into the factors that may have contributed to his descent into violence. Ortiz shares his battles with anxiety, paranoia, nightmares, and migraines—symptoms he attributes to his service in Operation Iraqi Freedom. His reliance on alcohol to cope deteriorates his mental state, a pivotal moment that Ortiz bluntly acknowledges:

Juan David Ortiz [07:15]: "Going to the VA fucked up my life. Got me here. I was a squared away motherfucker until I started going to the VA and my life went to shit."

This admission highlights the often-overlooked mental health challenges faced by veterans and the adverse effects of certain treatments prescribed by the VA, setting the stage for understanding Ortiz's motivations.

The Confession Unfolds

Initially, Ortiz maintains his innocence regarding the assaults and murders he is accused of. However, persistent and strategic questioning by the investigators gradually weakens his resolve. A turning point occurs when evidence linking Ortiz’s weapon to the crime scenes is presented:

Investigator [10:51]: "Give me something crazy."

Faced with undeniable evidence, Ortiz’s defensive facade begins to crumble. His subsequent request for a family photo symbolizes a fleeting desire to cling to normalcy amidst his unraveling truth.

Admission of Crimes

After enduring nearly nine hours in the interrogation room, Ortiz confesses to three murders:

1. Melissa Ramirez: Ortiz recounts picking her up to buy drugs, leading to an argument that culminates in her death. He admits to leaving her body at the scene, demonstrating a lack of premeditation.

   Juan David Ortiz [15:23]: "I did not plan it, guys."

2. Claudine Loera: Ortiz describes picking up Claudine, who suspects him of Melissa’s murder. Unable to handle her accusations, he shoots her, marking a transition from impulsive violence to calculated murder.

3. Giselda Cantou and Janelle Ortiz: These subsequent murders reveal Ortiz’s escalating violence driven by his perception of law enforcement and societal issues. His attempt to justify his actions as cleaning up the streets highlights a twisted sense of morality.

Final Confession and Capture

Ortiz’s confession extends beyond the initial three murders when he unveils the killing of Janelle Ortiz, a revelation that shocks both investigators and the listening audience. His detailed account leads law enforcement directly to another crime scene, underscoring the gravity of his actions.

Juan David Ortiz [22:10]: "My kids are sitting on the counter in the kitchen right there."

Ortiz's meticulous confession demonstrates a chilling self-awareness and a desire to control the narrative of his crimes, ultimately leading to his apprehension.

Aftermath and Reflections

The episode concludes with Ortiz being charged with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Despite the closure of the case, lingering questions about the true motives behind Ortiz’s actions remain unanswered. His transformation from a respected officer to a serial killer challenges listeners to ponder the complexities of human nature and the unseen struggles that can lead to devastating outcomes.

District Attorney Alaniz [29:07]: "He's in a pressure cooker, you know, so he's already a ticking time bomb."

Insights and Conclusion

"Gone South" not only narrates a gripping true crime story but also offers profound insights into the psychological turmoil that can drive an individual to commit heinous acts. The episode underscores the importance of mental health support for veterans and raises critical questions about the pressures faced by those in law enforcement. Through Ortiz’s tragic descent, host Jed Lipinski invites listeners to reflect on the multifaceted nature of human behavior and the fine line between order and chaos.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Juan David Ortiz [01:30]: "I was fucking running, dude."
• Juan David Ortiz [07:15]: "Going to the VA fucked up my life. Got me here. I was a squared away motherfucker until I started going to the VA and my life went to shit."
• Juan David Ortiz [10:57]: "Why are we missing rounds from your magnet."
• District Attorney Alaniz [11:20]: "So when these facts start just coming right at you and they're just pounding you in the face with these facts... he was convinced that the jig was up and everybody in that room knew exactly what he had done."
• Juan David Ortiz [15:23]: "I did not plan it, guys."
• Juan David Ortiz [22:10]: "My kids are sitting on the counter in the kitchen right there."
• District Attorney Alaniz [29:07]: "He's in a pressure cooker, you know, so he's already a ticking time bomb."

Conclusion

Season 3's "Squared Away" is a compelling episode that weaves together elements of personal tragedy, systemic failure, and the dark depths of human behavior. Through meticulous storytelling and firsthand accounts, Gone South not only documents a series of brutal crimes but also invites listeners to examine the underlying factors that can lead a seemingly stable individual to commit unimaginable acts.

Transcript

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[Narrator]

This is a recording of Juan David Ortiz. He's sitting alone in the Webb County Sheriff's interrogation room, talking to a deputy standing guard outside his door. Ortiz laughs as he recounts outrunning the state troopers who chased him.

[Investigator]

Who's the trooper?

[Juan David Ortiz]

I smoked, man. The trooper that couldn't keep up with me, dude. Tell him he needs to work out tomorrow, man. Two of them. Two troopers. I was fucking running, dude.

[Narrator]

Tall and powerfully built with a military crew cut. He's dressed casually in a khaki button down and jeans. His hands are cuffed behind his back. Soon, Calderon and Silenus enter the cramped room and sit across from him.

[Investigator]

He was advised of his right to an attorney and his right to stop talking to us at any time, but he freely chose to continue talking to us.

[Narrator]

Calderon wasn't surprised that Ortiz didn't ask for an attorney. In his experience, men and cops in particular often think they can talk their way out of trouble. But Ortiz wasn't just a cop. He was a military veteran and border intelligence supervisor who may have been privy to details of their investigation.

[Investigator]

One, we're dealing with a cop, another cop, so he knows how we operate. Not only tactics wise, but interrogations, interviews, and two, he worked at that border intelligence center. So how much does he know of what we know? Are we compromised? Are we going to not be able to use things against them. Are we going to be able to use this, that, or the other? What details does he know?

[Narrator]

When Calderon asked Ortiz about Erica Pena, Ortiz claimed he'd never met her. The only Erica he knew was from Brownsville, Texas, he said, the border town where he grew up. By now, of course, Erica had already identified Ortiz, his truck, and even her own vomit outside his house. Calderon and Salinas knew he was lying. When they showed him photographs of Melissa Ramirez and Claudine Luera, he denied knowing them as well. So the investigators tried a different approach. Calderon asked Ortiz if he hunted. Ortiz replied that until recently, he'd held a hunting lease north of the city where he hunted hogs with an AR15. Calderon asked if he'd gone hunting that day. Ortiz said no, adding, it's too damn hot to go hunting. Earlier that night, as Ortiz was being handcuffed, Calderon had noticed what appeared to be blood spatter on Ortiz's cowboy boots. Now, sitting across from him in the interrogation room, Calderon asked if he knew how the blood got there.

[Juan David Ortiz]

Do you know how he got blind? My boots.

[Narrator]

Ortiz looked down at his boots. He didn't have a good answer. This is gone south. I'm Jed Lipinski. Episode 5 the Monster after realizing there were in fact droplets of dried blood on his cowboy boots, Ortiz quickly recovered. He laughed and said he had no idea how the blood got there.

[Juan David Ortiz]

Blood on my boots. I have no idea how I got blood in my pooch. I had no idea. And that's how you get told me that I didn't. Blood on the boots.

[Narrator]

Calderon assumed Ortiz would continue denying he had anything to do with the murders or the assault on Erica Pena. So he decided to back off and ask Ortiz about himself instead.

[Investigator]

We've found that as long as people are talking, that's the first step in getting him to cooperate and getting him to start talking about what they did.

[Narrator]

To their surprise, Ortiz was more than happy to talk about his background. He explained that he had joined the Navy at 19, two months before 9 11. Two years later, he'd served as a combat medic assigned to a Marine unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom. After eight years of active duty, he was honorably discharged and joined the US Border Patrol outside San Antonio. A promotion in 2016 brought him to Laredo, where he was promoted again to border intel supervisor. According to Ortiz, he excelled at the job and was up for yet another promotion that fall. In those years, Ortiz had two children with his wife, Daniela, and earned multiple degrees, including a bachelor's in criminal justice and a master's in International relations. But despite his professional achievements, Ortiz admitted to battling personal demons. He struggled with anxiety, paranoia, nightmares, and extreme migraines, he said, adding that he'd also been abusing alcohol. He seemed to attribute these issues, in part to his stint in Iraq, where he'd witnessed an innocent rice merchant riddled with bullets and men burned beyond recognition by a fuel tank explosion.

[Investigator]

According to him, he'd seen a lot of death and a lot of things that he took with him later. And one of them I remember him describing was the smell of burning flesh and how certain things down the line, you know, present day, trigger that smell.

[Narrator]

Ortiz said that seven months earlier, a physician at the Laredo VA had diagnosed him with PTSD and prescribed him an array of Paxil for depression and anxiety, Trazodone for nightmares, Gabapentin for migraines, and Devalproex for irritability and anger.

[Juan David Ortiz]

I just can't believe how many pills I got put on like that.

[Narrator]

According to Ortiz, he'd been squared away until the VA prescribed him the medications. After that, he said, his life had, quote, turned to shit.

[Juan David Ortiz]

Going to the VA fucked up my life. Got me here. I was a squared away motherfucker until I started going to the VA and my life went to shit.

[Narrator]

It seemed to Calderon that Ortiz was using the VA story as a defense for something he hadn't yet confessed to. So Calderon interrupted with a direct question.

[Investigator]

I was point blank asking him, you know, what are you trying to tell us by this? Are you trying to say that, you know, because of this medication, you killed people? Are you trying to tell us that because of your appointments at the va, people had to die and get shot? You're saying that you felt like you.

[Juan David Ortiz]

Were losing control or something. What is it that you're feeling? Help us understand what it is that.

[Investigator]

You'Re feeling for so we can try to determine what you're trying to tell us.

[Narrator]

But Ortiz didn't answer Calderon's questions. All Ortiz would say is that he'd been squared away until his visit to the VA earlier that year.

[Juan David Ortiz]

From the day I was born till February of this year, I was a squared away bastard. And from February till now, I've had, like, 40 fucking appointments.

[Narrator]

And I looked at me in the video. Ortiz gestures to his right hand, which is shackled to a chair. For the next four hours, Ortiz continued to deny that he knew anything about the assault on Erica Pena or the two murders.

[Juan David Ortiz]

I have no idea who you picked up.

[Investigator]

We're talking about Erica.

[Juan David Ortiz]

He's not the only one he picked up, though. I'd like to know if you know why you're here. I have no idea what you guys are talking about right now.

[Narrator]

Ortiz's account of the previous night was simple. His wife and kids had gone to San Antonio to watch the Canelo Alvarez fight, he said, and he'd stayed home to wait for the plumber to fix a leak. That evening, he'd taken his meds, then drunk several Bud Lights, a combination that he said sometimes caused him to black out. The next thing he remembered was the troopers shouting at him outside the Stripes convenience store. He'd run from them, he said, because they were freaking him out. Frustrated by his continued denials, Calderon and Salinas decided to take a break.

[Investigator]

We eventually have to reassess how we're going to tackle the interview.

[Narrator]

By this point, the station was packed with law enforcement and local officials, including the District Attorney and Customs and Border Protection leadership. Many of them were crowded inside the station's viewing room, watching the interrogation unfold on a closed circuit tv.

[Investigator]

It was a madhouse in there. There was a lot of people in there. I mean, this was a supervisory Border Patrol agent. It was all unfolding. It was all new.

[Narrator]

Earlier that evening, after Ortiz fled from the state troopers, cops had failed to find Ortiz's weapon inside his truck, leading them to believe he was armed. But during the break in the interrogation, one of the cops at the station told Calderon that Ortiz's weapon, a.40 caliber handgun, had been sitting in Ortiz's truck bed all along, which probably explained why Ortiz had pretended his phone was a gun. Before he was captured, the cop told Calderon that he'd examined the gun and made two discoveries. One, the gun's magazine was missing several rounds, and two, the bullets inside appeared to match the shell casings found at the scenes of both Melissa and Claudine's murders. At this stage of the interview, Calderon and Salinas had yet to present Ortiz with any of the evidence they'd collected thus far. But when they walked back into the interrogation room, they decided they'd waited long enough.

[Juan David Ortiz]

Why are there rounds missing from your gun right now?

[Investigator]

Give me something crazy.

[Juan David Ortiz]

Give me the wildest dream you have. Why are we missing rounds from your magnet?

[Narrator]

When Ortiz failed to respond, Calderon told him they were going to match his gun to the shell casings left at the crime scenes. Ortiz stared at the floor as Calderon repeated, Look at me, J.D. look at me. His arrogance at the start of the interview was gone. District Attorney Alaniz, who was watching from the viewing room next door, saw the transformation.

[District Attorney Alaniz]

So when these facts start just coming right at you and they're just pounding you in the face with these facts. And this evidence is when he starts to soften up. Because I think by that time he was convinced that the jig was up and everybody in that room knew exactly what he had done.

[Narrator]

Calderon and Salinas urged Ortiz to tell the truth. They appealed to his background as a veteran, a border agent, and a father.

[District Attorney Alaniz]

And Ortiz was listening very intently and contemplating every word when they were talking about those three important values. You know, your country, your family, the law enforcement community.

[Narrator]

Ortiz then made a simple request. In his phone was a photo of him and his family on Father's Day. He asked if Calderon could print it out for him.

[Investigator]

I told him that I would do everything my ability to get him that picture.

[Narrator]

Ortiz then asked Calderon to remove the handcuffs.

[District Attorney Alaniz]

I remember telling everybody in the room, guys, get ready, here it comes. And he opens the handcuffs and takes them off. Ortiz just rubs his wrists from having those handcuffs on for, you know, eight, nine hours. And the floodgates open from there.

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[Investigator]

In the studio.

[Jenna Fisher]

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[Narrator]

Finally, after nearly eight hours in the interrogation room, Ortiz began to tell investigators about the night Melissa Ramirez was killed.

[Investigator]

So when he eventually comes around and starts telling us about his specific actions, and in this case specifically Melissa Ramirez, he tells her how he picked her up and took her to go buy something to get high and she got high and she passed out in his truck. And he was pretty annoyed at the fact that she was passed out in his truck.

[Narrator]

Realizing she may have overdosed, Ortiz said he debated dropping her at the emergency room and driving off.

[Juan David Ortiz]

Driving around. I drove to the medical center. There's cameras or cameras to see my truck. I was just in a dump earlier in the arch and I went, fuck, man.

[Investigator]

He figured that if a camera caught him at the hospital and something happened that, you know, they might come after him. So he says he gets on 35 and starts heading into North Webb County.

[Narrator]

When Melissa finally came to, she was annoyed to discover they were in a desolate area miles outside Laredo. According to Ortiz, she began insulting him.

[Investigator]

She starts asking him, you know, where are they? And, you know, she calls him a pendejo and tells him to pull over and that she has to pee. He complies and pulls over so she can pee. And at that point he decides that that was it, that that was only option he had left for some reason was to kill her there on the side of the road.

[Narrator]

Although Ortiz admitted to killing Melissa, he did not describe the act itself. Calderon pressed Ortiz for more. Did he tell her what he was going to do? Did she try to defend herself? But all Ortiz said was, you guys know what happened. Ortiz insisted the killing was impulsive, repeating, I did not plan it, guys. Calderon sensed Ortiz was laying the groundwork for a second degree murder charge instead of first degree, which requires premeditation. Ortiz went on to say that he left Melissa's body where she fell. On the ride back, he said he stopped at Pizza Hut before returning home to what he called my lovely wife and kids. When Ortiz showed up for work the next day at the Border intel center, he was asked to run the plate of the Laredo cop spotted near the crime scene. But Ortiz said that was the extent of his involvement in the investigation. By then, he said, the reality of what he'd done was sinking in.

[Investigator]

He does claim that he did feel kind of bad for what he did because she had kids and whatnot, and she had a family.

[Narrator]

But Ortiz said he managed to convince himself there was no reason to feel bad for Melissa. She had chosen to live on the street, he said, rather than care for her children.

[Investigator]

He starts justifying his actions by basically saying that what he did needed to be done and that, you know, he was doing the right thing.

[Narrator]

A few days later, Ortiz said he returned to San Bernardo.

[Investigator]

He was driving around and I guess, thinking about what happened. He says that at one point, quote, unquote, this is where the monster comes out.

[Juan David Ortiz]

I was continuing graving on tin bed, and this is where a monster came out.

[Narrator]

Ortiz said he began questioning why Laredo PD allowed sex workers to openly walk the streets at night. He claimed that he'd previously told the cops to do something about it, but they never did. So Ortiz said he decided to clean up the streets himself.

[Investigator]

And he begins to tell us how, basically he was going to grab the bull by the horns and tackle this problem by himself. And to him, that meant killing people.

[Narrator]

Ortiz said he picked up Claudine Loera a week or so later. It didn't take long for her to mention the death of Melissa Ramirez, he said. When Ortiz told her he'd heard about it, she proposed that the two of them go check out the murder scene.

[Investigator]

The conversation came up about Melissa and how it would be interesting to see where Melissa was killed, and he said that he knew the area.

[Narrator]

But as they drove out Route 83 toward Jeffrey's Road, Ortiz said Claudine had second thoughts.

[Juan David Ortiz]

And as we get to 83 for penis, that's when she starts really freaking, no, no, dude, no. Fuck that. No, dude, no.

[Narrator]

I don't want to go.

[Juan David Ortiz]

After all.

[Narrator]

Ortiz said Claudine was suddenly convinced that he'd killed Melissa.

[Investigator]

And when they're heading out there, she does start freaking out about, you know, it was you. Were you the one who killed her? And he heads toward IH35, and halfway there, he pulls over, tells her to get out of the car, and that's where he shoots her in the back of the head.

[Narrator]

It was two days later, while cruising San Bernardo, that Ortiz said he spotted Erica Pena. He repeated the story Erica had told the cops that they'd bought drugs and gone to his house before driving to the Circle K. But he insisted he had not tried to kill her. She had become Hysterical in the truck, he said. So he'd pulled his gun in its holster to calm her down.

[Investigator]

So they pulled a pistol in the holster and that she misconstrued that as him having pulled a pistol out of the holster and pointing it at her.

[Narrator]

After Erica ran away, Ortiz said he expected law enforcement to come after him. So he went home and assembled an arsenal of weapons in preparation for a standoff with the cops.

[Juan David Ortiz]

Grab my nine mil. Grab my.40 cal. Start loading them. Grab my AR15. Start fucking loading them.

[Investigator]

He gets his AR15 ready, his pistols, and some other stuff he had around the house there. And he's waiting and waiting.

[Narrator]

But investigators were busy interviewing Erica, and they didn't immediately show up.

[Investigator]

I guess his minutes felt like hours because he says we were taking way too long. So he decided to go back at it and continue what he was doing.

[Narrator]

Ortiz headed back to San Bernardo. On the way, he stopped to buy some beer before picking up another woman named Giselda Cantou. The two of them headed north on I35 to the same area where he'd killed Claudine. This time, though, he saw cops positioned along his route.

[Investigator]

He automatically assumed that those cops out there were waiting for him. So he exits and heads north and ends up under one of the underpasses on 35.

[Narrator]

Ortiz felt that the cops were closing in and that his life was over. He confessed to Giselda that he was the one who had killed Melissa and Claudine and that he planned to kill himself. He then told her to walk away. But Giselda didn't walk away. Instead, she tried to talk him out of committing suicide.

[Investigator]

Ms. Cantu starts telling him how he shouldn't do that and that, you know, God would forgive him and that he didn't need to do what he was doing.

[Narrator]

Ortiz said he repeatedly told her to walk away.

[Juan David Ortiz]

I'm telling you, walk away. Just walk away. Okay? Walk away. I'm telling you to walk away, and you're not listening to me.

[Investigator]

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[Narrator]

It had taken close to nine hours, but Calderon and Selenas had finally managed to elicit what they believed to be a full confession to three murders.

[Investigator]

We have Melissa accounted for, Claudine accounted for. We have the person on 35 at the time. Now we know Ms. Cantu. And then out of the blue, he tells us about a crime we didn't even know had been committed. And that was Janelle Ortiz.

[Narrator]

After Ortiz confessed to killing Melissa, Claudine and Giselda, Calderon and Salinas thought they'd reached the end of the interview. But Ortiz wasn't finished. Prior to killing Giselda, he said he had picked up a trans sex worker he knew named Janelle Ortiz. Like Claudine and Erica before her, Janelle had quickly surmised that Ortiz was the killer. As they drove north, she openly accused him of killing her friends. Ortiz said Janelle was strong and he worried she would fight back. But when he ordered her out of the truck at gunpoint, Ortiz said she seemed resigned to her fate. According to Ortiz, Janel told him do what you have to do.

[Investigator]

And he told us exactly where we would find Janelle Ortiz. As he's telling us about this crime that we didn't know had been committed. Deputies, investigators, crime scene investigators and senior command staff rush out the door and go try and locate this crime scene.

[Narrator]

It was now 12 o'clock in the afternoon. LaGuardia Loca had been up all night reporting and live streaming about Ortiz's capture and the discovery of the third victim. Like I said, there's a third victim.

[Investigator]

22 mile marker 35.

[Narrator]

Not long after Ortiz admitted to killing Janelle, she got a tip that police were en route to a new murder scene where a trans sex worker had been killed. She was soon speeding north on I35.

[Investigator]

Apparently they have found another body. Fourth body of a female at the 15 mile marker northbound. I am headed that way.

[Narrator]

La Gordy Loca knew two trans sex workers on San Bernardo, but she'd been texting with one of them, Emily Varela, just minutes earlier. She assumed the victim was Janelle lagordi Loca had known Janelle for years and had posted candid interviews with her on Facebook. She described Janelle as a jokester who protected other women on the street. But she was also an addict who had endured years of abuse from men who picked her up. As La Gordi Loca drove to the crime scene, she was almost overcome with emotion.

[Investigator]

Please, at this time, just be vigilant. I'm headed that way. Another body has been found at the.

[Narrator]

15 mile marker on 35. Minutes later, Laguardi Loca spotted a half dozen patrol units on the shoulder of i30, where piles of gravel lined the side of the road. Behind them lay Janelle's body, exactly where Ortiz said she'd be. Back in the interrogation room, Ortiz told investigators that having killed both Giselda and Janelle that night, he'd returned to San Bernardo to continue his murder spree.

[Investigator]

According to him, he was just going to keep killing people until he was stopped.

[Narrator]

But when he reached San Bernardo again, he paused to use the restroom at a Stripes convenience store and left his service weapon in the truck.

[Investigator]

He stopped at the gas station, left his gun in his car instead of taking it down with him.

[Narrator]

And so when two state troopers confronted him as he walked out, Ortiz found himself unarmed. He decided to run. If there was one thing he'd learned from the undocumented immigrants he'd spent the last nine years chasing, Ortiz said, it was never stop running and you won't get caught. But trapped in the parking garage, he had nowhere left to run. Calderon and Salinas felt confident that Ortiz had told them everything and that they'd reached the end of the interrogation.

[Investigator]

He told us things we didn't know he did and put himself at every crime scene with every victim.

[Narrator]

The investigators thanked Ortiz for his honesty. Ortiz then repeated his earlier request for the photo of him and his family.

[Juan David Ortiz]

My kids are sitting on the counter in the kitchen right there.

[Investigator]

And I told him that I'd try and get him that photo. And before the end of the night, I printed out that photo for him and I gave it to him.

[Narrator]

That afternoon, Ortiz was charged with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Officers who executed a search warrant at his house found that he had indeed prepared for a standoff.

[Investigator]

He had an AR15 on the kitchen counter. He had another pistol ready to go. And it looked very apparent that what he told us about that expectation of that confrontation with us was accurate and correct.

[Narrator]

Ortiz's confession marked the end of a 12 day odyssey for Calderon and his criminal Investigations Unit. Calderon was exhausted but satisfied by the outcome.

[Investigator]

The easiest way to describe it is, you know, we felt a ton of relief that we were able to accomplish what we set out to accomplish.

[Narrator]

Still, Ortiz's confession was not the end of the story. Left unanswered was what had caused a military veteran, Border Patrol supervisor and father of two with no criminal history to commit serial murder. Ortiz's actions were clear. His motives remained a mystery.

[Investigator]

We knew the who, the what and the when, the why is what we're still left with trying to figure out.

[Rosetta Stone Representative]

Border Patrol agent Juan David Ortiz remains behind bars tonight. Authorities are calling him a rogue agent.

[Narrator]

And a serial killer.

[District Attorney Alaniz]

You meet a young man, never been arrested for any violent offense, never had.

[Jenna Fisher]

Any domestic violence, insinuation from spouse or history.

[District Attorney Alaniz]

He's in a pressure cooker, you know, so he's already a ticking time bomb.

[Narrator]

I was just so shocked. He was like someone you would trust. It just made me think, man, wow. You just. You never know a person. You can never know a person. If you have questions or information for the Gone south team, please email [e-mail] and if you're enjoying the show, please leave us a review. Gone south is written and narrated by me, Jed Lipinski, executive produced by Jed Lipinski, Tom Lipinski and Ken Lee. Our story editor is Tom Lipinski. Directed by Lloyd Lockridge. Produced by Anna Worrell. Edited, mixed and mastered by Chris Basil. Original music by Marshall Chadbourne. Production support from Ian Mott, Bill Schultz, Bob Tabador and Sean Cherry. Special thanks to JD Crowley, Jenna Weiss Berman, Maura Curran, Josephina Francis, Kurt Courtney and Hilary Schuff. Gone south is an Odyssey original.

[Rosetta Stone Representative]

You might think financial crime is all about money, but sometimes it ends in murder.

[Jenna Fisher]

I'm Nicole Lapin, host of Money Crimes, a Crime House original podcast. Each episode features a thrilling story about.

[Rosetta Stone Representative]

The dark side of finance and how to protect yourself from it.

[Jenna Fisher]

Follow and listen to Money Crimes, an Odyssey podcast in partnership with Crime House Studios. Available on the free Odyssey app and wherever you get your podcasts.