Generations

Summary

The Brothers Ortiz – Episode 8: "Generations"

Podcast: The Brothers Ortiz
Date: January 28, 2026
Host: Campside Media & iHeart Podcasts

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Overview

This episode, titled "Generations," dives into the aftermath of Larry Ortiz's murder and traces the impact across multiple generations of the Ortiz family. The episode unpacks the fraught path to justice, the emotional toll on the family, and how past familial patterns shaped—and haunt—the present. Central to the story are the contrasting lives of brothers Gabe, a top law enforcement officer in Texas, and Larry, once a high-ranking member of the prison gang Puro Tango Blast. The episode tackles themes of generational struggles, loyalty, regret, and the elusive quest to break free from destructive cycles.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Gabe Ortiz’s Dilemma as Brother and Investigator

• Gabe, major in the Texas Department of Public Safety, struggles to balance professional protocol with personal grief after his brother Larry is murdered.
  • He stays out of the official investigation to avoid conflicts of interest, despite wanting to "track down the people who killed Larry."
    • [02:31] "Criminal investigations are supposed to be unbiased. Facts can’t be colored by emotion... Gabe is aware of all of this." – Narrator
• Gabe is torn between his training, which demands objectivity, and his raw emotional response as a brother.

2. Family Dynamics and the Burden of Legacy

• Larry’s son, Larry III (nicknamed "Third"), is uncooperative with the police after the murder, frustrating Gabe.
  • [04:22] "You need to fucking cooperate with law enforcement. That was your dad, but that was my brother. And if you know something... you need to cooperate. I said, do you understand me?" – Gabe Ortiz
• Third’s troubled path mirrors Larry’s past; the family notes the generational repetition:
  • [06:23] "He’s got to find his own way." – Antonio, Larry’s old friend
  • [07:02] "But then, at the same time, Third could always piggyback off of who Larry was, and those connections were still there for him..." – Cousin Vanessa

3. Unraveling the Night of the Murder

• Investigators use social media to reconstruct events—the key clue is the Instagram handle of a woman named Alina.
  • [09:04] "He did give investigators one very useful piece of information: the Instagram handle for a woman he'd met up with at the club... enough to get started, like finding the first corner of a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle." – Narrator
• Alina and her friend Ainsley, both 20, are identified as possible accomplices but not yet convicted.
• The group’s movements span bars and nightclubs, with Lucas and Third showing off money and attention, unknowingly making themselves "easy marks."
  • [10:33] "Lucas was flashing a whole bunch of money and buying all the girls drinks..." – Larissa

4. The Setup: Bait and Betrayal

• Alina’s texts show communication with "Big3E" and "Baby Ape," members of a "drug rip crew" planning the home invasion.
  • [15:40] "Alena had been texting with two other people, one who called himself Big3E and the other who went by Baby Ape... What investigators allege is that Elena, Ainsley, Baby Ape, Big3E, and two others were all working together as part of the same drug rip crew." – Narrator
  • [16:44] "This operation, if you can call it that, went wrong from the very beginning... Lucas and Third weren’t really worth robbing. They just like to front, you know." – Gabe Ortiz
• The robbery was haphazard and rushed; the plan formed only because other targets "fell apart," and Lucas and Third made themselves visible on social media and at clubs.
  • [19:12] "Basically getting yourself set up every time. Because there’s guys out here that literally prey on people like that, or they send girls who think they're interested in you, and they're really not." – Larissa
• The attack occurs with children and family present in the house, violating even the unspoken "code" within criminal circles.
  • [20:00] "Even in prison, there’s a code, you know, you don’t fuck with kids... Go into the house and you realize there’s kids. Just fucking leave." – Gabe Ortiz

5. Investigation and Arrest

• Authorities secure warrants for six suspects across four Texas counties; Gabe’s agency (DPS) is asked to help due to the scale.
  • [26:07] "All six were spread out in different counties. And they said, hey, Brazoria county doesn’t have the resources... Can DPS help?" – Gabe Ortiz
• Gabe is given the opportunity for personal closure: he is able to physically place his own handcuffs on Richard Horn, the man who shot his brother.
  • [30:21] "I look him in the eye and I say, 'You're the one that killed my brother.' ... 'You have no idea who you fucked with and you’re gonna fucking pay for what you did.' And I turned him around and put my handcuffs on him..." – Gabe Ortiz
  • [30:55] Gabe admits facing temptation for vengeance but walks away: "For a second, I just wanted to put a bullet in his head. But I’m like, then what?"
• The family tracks arrests with a group text, turning it into a bittersweet drinking game to honor Larry.
  • [31:53] "Every time I said, hey, we just arrested one, everybody’s taking a shot wherever they were." – Gabe Ortiz
  • [32:07] "That's actually kind of a nice tribute. Larry would have appreciated it." – Narrator

6. Generational Trauma and Reflection

• Larissa, Larry’s daughter, reflects on not understanding her father's choices.
  • [32:31] "Why my dad chose the life he chose over my Uncle Gabe's life, I don't know. Those are questions he’s not here to answer..." – Larissa
• The consequences ripple: Richard Horn (the shooter) pleads guilty and receives a 40-year sentence; other defendants face long sentences or are held in jail pending trial – some in the same jail where Larry and Third once were.
  • [33:13] "As of June 2025, [the four remaining defendants] had all pleaded not guilty... still being held in the Brazoria County Jail, the same jail where Larry spent so much time as a younger man, the same jail where his own son, Third, would be locked up on occasion." – Narrator
• The family is divided on justice, some wanting full trial and maximum penalty, others, like Gabe, caution against the emotional toll and risks of a jury trial:
  • [34:53] "No amount of time is going to bring Larry back... do you really want to put the entire family through all of this and not really knowing what the end result was going to be?" – Gabe Ortiz

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Gabe’s Anguish & Professionalism
  • "You need to fucking cooperate with law enforcement. That was your dad, but that was my brother." – Gabe Ortiz [04:22]
  • "I look him in the eye and I say, 'You're the one that killed my brother.'" – Gabe Ortiz [30:21]
  • "For a second, I just wanted to put a bullet in his head. But I’m like, then what?" – Gabe Ortiz [30:55]
• Family Patterns and Cycles
  • "He’s got to find his own way." – Antonio [06:23]
  • "Why my dad chose the life he chose over my Uncle Gabe’s life, I don’t know..." – Larissa [32:31]
  • "That's actually kind of a nice tribute. Larry would have appreciated it." – Narrator [32:07]
• Tragedy and Irony
  • "Larry wasn’t killed because of his criminal lifestyle...Larry died protecting his family, which in his own way was the only thing that ever really mattered." – Narrator [35:49]
• Gabe on Justice
  • "No amount of time is going to bring Larry back...do you really want to put the entire family through all of this and not really knowing what the end result was going to be?" – Gabe Ortiz [34:53]

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Important Timestamps

• [02:31] Narrator outlines Gabe’s professional quandary and introduction of the murder investigation.
• [04:22] Gabe confronts his nephew "Third" about cooperating.
• [06:23–07:35] Family and friends discuss Third’s troubled past and family dynamics.
• [09:04] Lucas’s Instagram handle proves a breakthrough for the investigation.
• [10:33–11:43] Larissa and others reveal the reckless, causal invitations that opened the door to violence.
• [15:40–20:33] Text messages outline how Alina and others coordinated the robbery; Gabe and others analyze the mistakes and lack of scruples by the "crew."
• [26:07–30:55] Gabe details the coordinated arrest of the suspects, including his personal confrontation with Richard Horn.
• [32:31–34:53] Larissa and Gabe reflect on generational trauma and the cost of justice.
• [35:49] Narrative summarization of the episode’s core, tragic irony.

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Tone & Style

The episode blends procedural detail and raw, heartfelt reflection, often shifting between cool narration and intensely personal testimony. Gabe's candor about rage and restraint, Larissa’s familial grief, and the subtle wryness of the narrator all make this episode poignant and deeply human.

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In Summary

"Generations" threads together threads of family legacy, criminal investigation, tragedy, and healing. It pulls no punches on the complexity of seeking justice when the victim—and family—have lived on both sides of the law, and it leaves listeners wrestling with the question: can cycles truly be broken, and what does justice really provide the living?

Transcript

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

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[Tara Davis Woodhull]

This is US Olympic gold medalist Tara.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Davis Woodhull and I'm US Paralympic gold medalist Hunter Woodhull.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

As athletes, our lives are about having.

[Hunter Woodhull]

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[Gabe Ortiz]

You can absolutely trust.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

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[Hunter Woodhull]

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[Gabe Ortiz]

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[Hunter Woodhull]

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[Gabe Ortiz]

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[Hunter Woodhull]

Gabe Ortiz, one of the highest ranking law enforcement officers in the state of Texas, knows how to run a criminal investigation, how to organize and deploy resources, how to ask questions and evaluate evidence, how to build a case against the bad guys. In fact, when his brother Larry was murdered, he was a major in the criminal investigation division of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Criminal investigations were literally written into his title. Now, any brother, and especially one with those particular skills, would want to track down the people who killed Larry. But Gabe is also a professional. Criminal investigations are supposed to be unbiased. Facts can't be colored by emotion. Decisions can't be made out of anger or vengeance. There are also jurisdictional boundaries. A murder in Brazoria county is typically investigated by authorities in Brazoria county, not a major for a state agency based in Austin. Even if, or especially if, the victim was that major's brother, Gabe is aware of all of this. So in those first hours and days after Larry died, he's trying to stay out of the way. He doesn't want to interfere or even appear to interfere with a proper investigation. But if he's asked, he can still be helpful.

[Gabe Ortiz]

I got a call from investigators, and they said, hey, your. Your nephew is not really being forthcoming.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Gabe's nephew is Larry's son, Larry iii. He got that call not long after the shooting.

[Gabe Ortiz]

Like, we feel like there's a lot more that he knows. And that really pissed me off because your dad has just been murdered. You need to tell it all. You need to cooperate fully. Tell them everything you know.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Did you talk to him?

[Gabe Ortiz]

Yeah, I did. One of the things I asked him is like, did you know about this? Did. Were you involved in this? And he said, no, Uncle Gabe, I would never do that. Like, why I wouldn't do that. And I'm like, well, what do you know? I say, you need to fucking cooperate with law enforcement. That was your dad, but that was my brother. And if you know something and if there's some connections to the people that you know that were involved in this, then you need to cooperate. I said, do you understand me?

[Hunter Woodhull]

From Campside Media and iHeart podcasts, this is the Brothers Ortiz, episode eight generations. I'm Sean Flynn.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

Third was always getting in trouble for something.

[Hunter Woodhull]

This is Gloria, Larry's mother and Third's grandmother. We reached out to Third multiple times and through multiple people, and he never got back to us. But his family, sisters, aunt, uncle, grandmother, they all tell the same basic Story that Third had been in and out of trouble for years, Mostly minor and mostly involving drugs.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

Barry would always pay him out of jail or, you know, give him money. He knew Third was doing things that he wasn't supposed to be doing. He wanted to tell him that it wasn't right. But I'm seeing in Third thinking, hey, you know, you used to do it, so why are you trying to tell me not to?

[Hunter Woodhull]

You know, oh, man, that broke his heart. And here's Antonio, who knew Larry since they were kids. I mean, he tried as best he could with Third, but, you know, he was a grown man. And I tell Larry all the time, man, he's got to find his own way.

[Gabe Ortiz]

He's got to find his own way.

[Hunter Woodhull]

But he tried. He always tried to look out for Thirds. The situation with Third, which is my nephew, it was pretty tough for him. And this is Wade, Larry's brother in law. But being that he was a father and kind of went down that same road too, I would say maybe he even took that personal.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

Larry didn't want him to go down that path and was not gonna enable or make it easy for him.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Cousin Vanessa.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

But then, at the same time, Third could always piggyback off of who Larry was, and those connections were still there for him. And I do also feel like when Larry was alive, that Third could get away with a lot because of who his dad was. It's like, okay, I'm not gonna beat your ass. Cause I know who your dad is and I'm cool with your pops, but you're on some hoe shit. Like, I think that being who he was saved him from getting his ass beat a lot.

[Gabe Ortiz]

When we got there, it was pretty chaotic scene.

[Hunter Woodhull]

This is Lieutenant Jeff Min with the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office. He was one of the first detectives on the scene after Larry was shot. Third was very emotional. We had one investigator try to interview him.

[Gabe Ortiz]

It was not working.

[Hunter Woodhull]

He was right around hollering. Third's friend Lucas is at the house too. He's not being any more useful. Here's Third. Sister Larissa.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

He's like, I'm not talking to no cops. I was just robbed not too long ago, and the cops didn't do nothing for me. And da da, da, da, da, da.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Larisa saw Lt. Mink, who she knew was a small town. She said she wanted to talk to him.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

I remember telling him, like, I don't trust Lucas. I feel like he knows more than what he's leading. So y' all need to question Him. Y' all need to press him and just see what he will tell y'.

[Hunter Woodhull]

All.

[Gabe Ortiz]

So the decision was to pull Lucas.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Out of that environment. Mink corralled Lucas and drove him to the sheriff's office. Lucas, for the record, wasn't charged or implicated in any way in the death of his friend's dad. We wanted to talk to Lucas, but we couldn't find him. Even his father didn't know how to reach him. At the sheriff's office, Mink thought Lucas was hesitant.

[Gabe Ortiz]

They weren't giving us straight answers. We weren't getting even. In the interview room at the sheriff's office, Lucas was, you know, just not.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Wanting to give the information up. But he did give investigators one very useful piece of information. The Instagram handle for a woman he'd met up with at the club. It wasn't much, but it was enough to get started, like finding the first corner of a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle. With that piece, just like with the jigsaw, Mink and the rest of the team could begin putting together the full picture of what they allege happened that night. The how and the why. And eventually the who. That username led investigators to a woman named Alina that night. She was 20 years old, with a round face and long dark hair and the outline of a heart tattooed on her throat. We're not using her full name because it's not important right now. She's been convicted of nothing illegal involving the death of Larry Ortiz. She just happened to know Lucas from Instagram. Third had left the beach house earlier in the evening, about the time Larry was winding things down. He drove over the bridge to Freeport, then headed inland, where he met Lucas.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

They started off there, downtown Lake Jackson, Drinking there first, this is Larissa again. Then over time, they ended up at 1504, which is a was a nightclub in Freeport. It's no longer there anymore.

[Hunter Woodhull]

The owner of 1504 happened to be Larissa's old softball coach and an old friend of Larry's. And later, after everything happened, she reached out to Larissa.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

She was like telling me what she's seen and stuff and how they were acting. And basically Lucas was flashing a whole bunch of money and buying all the girls drinks, buying all kinds of people drinks.

[Hunter Woodhull]

And this is where Lena comes in. While Lucas is in the club, apparently buying drinks and flashing cash, he opens up Instagram, starts chatting with her. She's with a friend, another dark haired, 20 year old. Her name is Ainsley. Third and Lucas invite Ainsley and Alina to meet them. But by the time the women arrive, 1504 is closing. They missed last call, but they're not ready to call it at night. Third has the key to an apartment nearby, except it's empty. Just a couch, nothing else. They decide to go to the beach house where Third's parents, his siblings, his nieces and nephews are all staying.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

It's just frustrating because it's like you knew that you barely had room to lay your head to sleep. Why would you invite extra people? You know, you weren't being considerate, you weren't thinking. And then you like, you knew there were kids there. Why would you bring girls back? But you didn't care. You were just thinking about yourself and your greed and having fun.

[Hunter Woodhull]

3Rd and Lucas drive back to Treasure Island, Alina and her friend following a Toyota Corolla.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

I can't tell you exactly what time it is, but I remember getting woken up by my brother. He came in the room that I was in and was like, I'm so fucked up.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Third, Lucas and the two women go to one of the other bedrooms. Alina's on her phone texting, but no one thinks anything of it.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

I laid my head down for like not even 0.2 seconds. I started hearing a lot of noise and that's when I kind of seen what I seen, which was a man with a mask standing in front of the door.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI, it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you try transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures hey.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

This is US Olympic gold medalist Tara.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Davis Woodhull and I'm US Paralympic gold medalist Hunter Woodhull.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

As athletes, our lives are about having.

[Hunter Woodhull]

A clear path and a team that you can absolutely trust.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

So when it came to getting the best mortgage, we chose PennyMac. PennyMac is proud to be the official mortgage provider of Team USA and you.

[Hunter Woodhull]

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[Tara Davis Woodhull]

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[Gabe Ortiz]

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[Tara Davis Woodhull]

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[Gabe Ortiz]

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[Tara Davis Woodhull]

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[Hunter Woodhull]

Alena had been texting with two other people, one who called himself Big3E and the other who went by Baby Ape. Alina had been texting with them for almost six hours since 9:03 Friday night but the relevant parts, the parts that led to Larry being Dead, started at 1:40 in the morning when Alina reported that she and Angley were at the club with third and Lucas. Six minutes later, she told Baby Ape and Big3e that they were leaving. Baby Ape told her that if 3rd and Lucas got touchy, just play it cool. But we're quoting here. Don't let them do too much. Alina continued texting with them while she followed Third's truck out to Treasure Island. At 2:38 in the morning, after she'd walked through the main floor of the beach house, she texted to the group, this hoe got kids in here. Minutes later, Big 3e and two other people kicked in the front door. Very Shortly after that, Big3E shot Larry in the chest. What investigators allege is that Elena Ainsley, Baby Ape, Big3E and two others were all working together as part of the same drug rip crew. In that scenario, in that theory, Alina and her friend would have been the bait. Their job, again, allegedly, would have been to get close to the targets, to Lucas and Third to get access, gather intelligence. How many people are there? Do they have guns? That sort of thing. And then characters like Big3E and the other two who kicked in the door, they would have been the muscle. And someone like Baby Ape, he would have been coordinating the whole thing. To investigators, that's exactly what this looked like, a drug ripoff, which is neither complicated nor uncommon. Bad guys stealing from other bad guys, or at least guys who are doing things that aren't legal. What are they going to do, Call the cops? No.

[Gabe Ortiz]

What I learn is my nephew and his friend Lucas were going to a lot of bars, nightclubs in Houston. And apparently this crew, they see him flashing money, they're living this lavish lifestyle. And obviously, I think it's just they look like they have a lot more money than what they really do. So, yeah, they thought, hey, this is an easy mark, and, you know, we'll hit a lick and get a little cash and maybe a little dope. The crew was looking for the right opportunity to strike, investigators believe.

[Hunter Woodhull]

And that Baby Ape text thread suggests that Third and Lucas were not the original targets. That night, baby Ape and Big3E were talking about other victims, and Alina and Ainsley were allegedly at other clubs, and all of them were sharing their location so they wouldn't lose each other again. Allegedly. But for whatever reasons, those other prospects fell apart. And then Alina got hit up on Instagram by Lucas and Third. This was all happenstance. This Operation, if you can call it that, went wrong from the very beginning. Let's start with the alleged targets. Lucas and Third weren't really worth robbing. They just like to front, you know.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

Basically just setting yourself up.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Here's Larissa again.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

Like, I get you want to impress girls, but you're not impressing girls. You're basically getting yourself set up every time. Because there's guys out here that literally prey on people like that. Or they send girls who think they're interested in you, and they're really not. And the whole time, y' all don't even have anything. So stuff that could have been prevented had you not been flashing dollar bills and $20.

[Hunter Woodhull]

And second, it was rushed. Alina didn't even have time to count how many people were in the house, let alone determine if any of them had weapons. They didn't. Or if there was a big protective guy like Larry inside. In fact, one of the last things she texted was that she was trying to see who was there, and she typed that message immediately after. This hoe got kids in here.

[Gabe Ortiz]

Even in prison, there's a code, you know, you don't fuck with kids. Apparently, that same code does not apply to a lot of robbery crews. A lot of them get, you know, they're younger and younger and, you know, they just don't have the same code of ethics. Obviously, my brother was murdered, and that's the tragedy. But I've also thought, and it's what really pissed me off is, okay, you go into the house and you realize there's kids. Just fucking leave. Go. Go somewhere else. Find. Find somebody else.

[Hunter Woodhull]

And finally, one of them shot and killed Larry. An apparent drug ripoff that they expected would never be reported is now a murder case, and one that's going to get an extraordinary amount of attention from the authorities.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets, which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI, it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index, and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, LLC SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosure [e-mail] Disclosures hey, this is.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

US Olympic gold medalist Tara Davis Woodhull.

[Hunter Woodhull]

And I'm US Paralympic gold medalist Hunter Woodhull.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

As athletes, our lives are about having.

[Hunter Woodhull]

A clear path and a team that.

[Gabe Ortiz]

You can absolutely trust.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

So when it came to getting the best mortgage, we chose PennyMac. PennyMac is proud to be the official mortgage provider of Team USA and you.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Learn more at pennymac.com PennyMac Loan Services, LLC equal housing lender NMLS ID 35953.

[Gabe Ortiz]

Licensed by the Department of Financial Protection.

[Hunter Woodhull]

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[Tara Davis Woodhull]

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[Hunter Woodhull]

Forget whatever plans you.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Have this weekend because you're staying at.

[Gabe Ortiz]

Home and playing on spinquest. And there's never been a better time.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

To sign up than right now. New users get $30 coin packs for just $10, all the table games you love, with hundreds of slot games and real cash Prizes.

[Hunter Woodhull]

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[Gabe Ortiz]

Visit spinquest.com for more details.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Brazoria county officials ran the investigation into Larry's murder. It happened in their jurisdiction, so of course they took the lead. Starting with that first Instagram handle from Lucas, they built a case against six people spread across four Texas counties. You'll hear more from Lt. Mink in a later episode about how exactly all those pieces were assembled into a hole. As for Gabe, he made his early phone calls, but he mostly tried to stay out of the way. He had to wait, just like the rest of the Family.

[Gabe Ortiz]

It's probably about a month, a little over a month later, that they were able to get the murder warrants. And I remember sitting at a restaurant with two other officers when I get the phone call that, hey, we've got good news. We just got the judge to sign off on these murder warrants for all six of the suspects. And I remember sitting at the table and I was like, fuck, yeah.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Big 3E from the text thread. His real name is Richard Horn Jr. He's an ex con and a tattoo artist who at the time lived in Seguin, which is near San Antonio. He was the one who shot Larry, the one who actually killed him. But the other five were also charged with murder. That's because the state of Texas has what's called a. A joint venture theory of crime. If you commit felonies with your friends, like, say, armed robbery or home invasion, and someone gets killed, you're all on the hook. So a magistrate signed murder warrants for Alina and Ainsley, who allegedly set up third in Lucas. There were also warrants for the other two people who allegedly kicked in the beach house door and pointed guns at children. Guadalupe, who was Richard's girlfriend, and Marvin, who lived with them in their trailer in Seguin. The last warrant was for Baby Ape. His name is Kirsten, and he allegedly was the organizer in the text thread. He gave orders, like, turn the whole house upside down, shoeboxes and all. And at the very end, when everything had gone so terribly wrong, he typed delete. Group chat. The plan for authorities in early March 2023 is to arrest all six of them at once so that they can't be tipping each other off. The problem, though, again, is that they're not all in the same place.

[Gabe Ortiz]

All six were spread out in different counties. And they said, hey, Rosario county doesn't have the resources to execute all these arrest warrants. Can DPS help?

[Hunter Woodhull]

DPS is the Texas Department of Public Safety, where Gabe at the time was a major.

[Gabe Ortiz]

I'm like, absolute. Lutely, we can. Everybody in DPS knew that my brother was murdered, and all it took was, hey, man, we're trying to execute these murder warrants. Can we get. Oh, yeah, bro. Like, tell us when and where. Like, we're on it. Whatever you need.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Richard Horn and Guadalupe Navarro were presumed to be at their trailer in Seguin.

[Gabe Ortiz]

So we had a team go there, and one of the detectives said, hey, if you want to meet us somewhere and give us a set of your handcuffs, we'll put those handcuffs on Richard.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Horn. In case that's not clear, a detective was offering to click Gabe's personal state issued handcuffs around the wrists of the man who killed Gabe's brother.

[Gabe Ortiz]

And I was like, that'd be fucking awesome. So I'm going to meet with these investigators.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Then those investigators call back. They've been diverted. Now they're heading toward Houston, but there's more.

[Gabe Ortiz]

And, oh, by the way, they just arrested Guadalupe and Navarro. And I'm like, awesome. They're like, hey, but, but, but Richard Horn is actually at a tattoo parlor in New Braunfels. And I was like. I was like, okay, great. They said, so you can probably contact one of your DPS CID agents and coordinate with them about getting them your handcuffs, because they're about to go to this tattoo parlor. So initially I was driving towards Seguin, and then now I'm driving toward New Braunfels. And the whole time there's a lot of emotions. I'm like, man, this is just, you know, this is awesome. And the crazy thing is I'm in my personal vehicle. I was just gonna go drop off some handcuffs. My wife Melinda's with me, and we're driving. I'm like. I'm like, hey, okay, let's go find some place to meet these agents. And they're gonna put my handcuffs on Richard Horne. And so we're going to New Braunfels, and I get a call from one of the agents that said, sir, we just arrested Richard Horn. And in my mind, I'm thinking, I'm like, okay, hey, you know what? That's awesome. I don't need to. They said. He said, but we're waiting for you. And I'm like, well, for what? You gotta. Guys already have him in custody. And I'm like, well, don't you want to put your handcuffs on him? And so I was like, man, I'm about 30 minutes away. You know, it's gonna be. They're like, we'll wait. They gave me the. The address at a tattoo parlor. We drive down, and he's already in the vehicle. We pull up and I tell Melinda. I was like, hey, just wait here. And so I get out, and they're like, hey, sir, he's here. And they pull him out of the vehicle, and he's handcuffed. And so he turns. I turn him around and look him in the eye.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Let's pause here just long enough to sharpen the focus, see the moment from Gabe's perspective. His brother Larry did some things, maybe a lot of things that were not legal. And he paid for it, went to prison, missed the best years of his kids lives. The best years of his life. But he was trying. Lord knows he was trying. That's really what he was telling Gabe at Thanksgiving when they were drinking whiskey on the patio. When Larry said he shot a guy years before, he wasn't bragging, he was confessing. When he told Gabe he was back in the game, that wasn't swagger, it was desperation. Larry wanted to do better, had done better. And now Gabe is face to face with the guy who shot him.

[Gabe Ortiz]

I look him in the eye and I say, you're the one that killed my brother. He said, I ain't fucking killing nobody. I'm like, no, you killed my brother. It's like, you have no idea who you fucked with and you're gonna fucking pay for what you did. And I turned him around and put my handcuffs on him, took the other agent's handcuffs off, gave it to him, and I put him in the vehicle. And probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Why?

[Gabe Ortiz]

There's a lot of things going on in my mind at that time. And, you know, there for a split second, I was like, man, I could just easily put a bullet in this guy's head. You know, instant retribution. For a second, I just wanted to put a bullet in his head. But I'm like, then what?

[Hunter Woodhull]

Gabe obviously walked away. He went back to his truck, back to Melinda, and tried to calm down.

[Gabe Ortiz]

And I'm shaking and just wound up, and I'm just shaking and for a while. And then I start getting text messages that the other suspects are being arrested. Hey, we just arrested, you know, Marvin. Hey, we just arrested, you know, Alina. Hey, we just arrested. So just one by one, Gabe has.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Created a family text threat.

[Gabe Ortiz]

I'm letting him know. Just kind of keep them updated. Hey, here's what's going on. We just arrested. And they. They turned it into a drinking game. And so every time I said, hey, we just arrested one, and everybody's taking a shot wherever they were.

[Hunter Woodhull]

That's actually kind of a nice tribute. Larry would have appreciated it.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

Why my dad chose the life he chose over my Uncle Gabe's life, I don't know. You know, those are questions that he's not here to answer. For me, this is Larissa, because like I said, he would never really share those things. It was always making up for lost times and just keeping us on the right path. It's been a struggle. I've been in a very dark place. I Don't talk to nobody, because I don't feel like I can talk to anybody, because the only person I talked to about anything was my dad. No matter what you tell my dad, he always found positive in everything. There was always a positive solution. It could be the dumbest thing he was going to turn around into something so positive.

[Hunter Woodhull]

It's been two years since Larry was killed. When Larissa is telling me these things. Richard Horn, the shooter, he's in prison. He pleaded guilty to murder in January 2024 in exchange for a 40 year sentence. Guadalupe Navarro was offered 35 years. She actually provided a fairly helpful statement that was worth a few years off her sentence, but she declined. She pleaded guilty to murder, but took her chances on sentencing with a jury. She got 75 years. As for the other four defendants, Ainsley, Alena, Marvin, and Kirsten, as of June 2025, they had all pleaded not guilty, but none of them could make bail. They were still being held in the Brazoria county jail, the same jail where Larry spent so much time as a younger man, in the same jail where his own son, third, would be locked up on occasion. Larry, senior dad, maybe he would have seen that as one of those generational curses. He'd been in that jail, too. So that's one way of looking at it. But if there was a curse, if you believe in such things, maybe Larry could have broken it. Maybe he was almost there. Within the Ortiz family, there was some dissent when it came to prosecutors offering Richard Horn a plea deal. Some relatives understandably wanted maximum vengeance. They wanted the man who killed Larry, their son, husband, uncle, brother Larry, to stand trial, to be judged by a jury of his peers, who they believed would surely find him guilty and put him away for the rest of his natural life.

[Gabe Ortiz]

I kind of explained to him, like, hey, look, no amount of time is going to bring Larry back. And do we really want to go to a jury trial? I said, juries are very quirky. You just never know what you're going to get. And obviously, there was a lot of people in that house that day to include family members that have criminal history. And a good defense attorney can spin this and make it look like, hey, there's a lot of, you know, crooks in this family, and, you know, this guy was a gang member and he was a dope dealer, and, you know, it's just a dope deal gone bad type situation. And, you know, you just never know how they can spin it. And I told the family, and I said, do you really want to put the entire family through all of this and not really knowing what the end result was going to be.

[Hunter Woodhull]

And that is the final irony, the final tragedy. For years, people who loved Larry were afraid he would die young and probably violently. But in the end, Larry wasn't killed because of his criminal lifestyle, because he was doing something illegal, or even because he got into a fight with some knothead. Larry died protecting his family, which in his own way was the only thing that ever really mattered. The Brothers Ortiz is a production from Campside Media in partnership with iHeart podcasts. Listen on the iHeartradio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. The Brothers Ortiz was written, reported and hosted by me, Sean Flynn. Lane Rose is our senior producer. Story Editing by Audrey Quinn Sound Design, Mix and Engineering by Garrett Tiedemann Original music by Garrett Tiedemann Fact checking By Savannah Wright iHeart podcast's executive producers are Lindsey Hoffman and Jennifer Bassett. Campside Media's executive producers are Josh Dean, Vanessa Grigoriadis, Adam Hoff and Matt Sher. A special thanks to our operations team, Doug Slaywin, Ashley Warren and Sabina Mara. If you enjoyed the Brothers Ortiz, please rate and review the show wherever you get your podcasts and thanks for listening. Foreign.

[Gabe Ortiz]

This is Julian Edelman from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jewels. Sunday mornings I've got my game day ritual, coffee, lucky socks and now new Morning Uncrustable Sandwiches.

[Hunter Woodhull]

It's all about that 12 gram protein.

[Gabe Ortiz]

Boost with the new Uncrustables, Bright eyed.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Berry or up and apple flavors.

[Gabe Ortiz]

Bright Eye Berries got a feisty receiver energy up an apple.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Your classic do it all tight end.

[Gabe Ortiz]

Soft, pillowy, packed with protein and easy enough for Gronk to grab from the freezer.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Whether you're on the couch, driving to the tailgate or heading to the locker.

[Gabe Ortiz]

Room, New Morning Uncrustable Sandwiches are the MVP of snacks. Your new Sunday kickoff ritual starts here with new Morning Uncrustable sandwiches packed with.

[Hunter Woodhull]

12 grams of protein.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Forget whatever plans you have this weekend.

[Gabe Ortiz]

Because you're staying at home and playing on Spin Quest and there's never been.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

A better time to sign up than right now. New users get $30 coin packs for just $10.

[Hunter Woodhull]

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[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Hundreds of slot games and real cash Prizes.

[Gabe Ortiz]

That's at spinquest.com S P-I-N Q U-E-T.com.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Spinquest is a free to play social.

[Gabe Ortiz]

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