The Brothers Ortiz Podcast

Episode: The Murder of Larry Ortiz

Release Date: February 4, 2026
Host: Sean Flynn, Campside Media & iHeart Podcasts
Guest: Lt. Jeff Mink, Brazoria County Sheriff's Department

Overview

This bonus episode of The Brothers Ortiz dives deeply into the investigation of the murder of Larry Ortiz—a pivotal and highly personal case in Brazoria County, Texas. Larry Ortiz, the younger brother of high-ranking law enforcement officer Gabe Ortiz, was killed during a botched home invasion in an Airbnb beach house. Through an exclusive, rare interview with Lt. Jeff Mink—the investigator who led the case—host Sean Flynn reconstructs the detailed process of how the police tracked down and apprehended the suspects, exposing mistakes, luck, and the lethal consequences of a poorly conceived crime.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The Community and the Crime

• Location: A rented Airbnb on Treasure Island, a quiet beach community in Brazoria County, Texas.
• Family Gathering: The Ortiz family was staying there in advance of a cousin’s quinceañera.
• The Crime: In the early morning, Larry Ortiz was fatally shot during a home invasion/robbery gone wrong.

“It’s not a typical robbery spot, so it had to be some connection there.”
—Lt. Jeff Mink [07:58]

2. The Investigation Begins

• Lt. Mink's Familiarity with the Family: He had lived next door to the Ortiz family for years.
• Immediate Response: The large number of witnesses prompted more investigators to be called to the scene.
• Witness Strategy: The on-scene investigation was split—some focused on processing the crime scene while Mink and others began family interviews.

3. Timeline of Events Leading Up to the Murder

• How the Suspects Got Involved:
  • Larry’s adult son (“Third”) and his friend Lucas brought two women, Alina and Ainsley, to the beach house late at night after meeting up via Instagram.
  • The women arrived in a white sedan, and not long after, masked intruders burst in, armed and demanding money and drugs.
  • Surveillance footage, social media clues, and lucky breaks (including a traffic stop before the murder) helped piece together the suspect's movements.

4. The Role of Social Media and Surveillance

• Breakthrough:
  • Lucas provided an Instagram username.
  • Rapid social media sleuthing let investigators identify Alina, even as posts disappeared in real time.
• Surveillance Fortuity:
  • Security cameras at Buc-ee’s and a local Circle K captured the vehicles involved, providing both timelines and vehicle/plate numbers.

“People don’t realize or they forget just how many cameras are constantly watching, silently making a record of everything that happens in their fields of view.”
—Sean Flynn [13:36]

5. The Intricate Web: Honeypot Scheme

• How it Worked:
  • Two women (the “honeypot”) befriended the victims under false pretenses, cased the house, then passed info to the accomplices who carried out the robbery.
  • Notably, the murderers made critical mistakes, such as being stopped by police less than an hour before the crime and going through with the plan anyway.

“It’s a honeypot scheme. You send two pretty girls in and they case, they give inside information and then the crew comes in behind them.”
—Lt. Jeff Mink [15:38]

6. The Manhunt and Arrests

• Suspect Identification:

  • Multiple suspects identified: Richard Horn (shooter), Guadalupe "Wollaby" Navarro, Alina, Ainsley, Marvin, and Kirsten ("Baby Ape").
  • Arrests made through coordinated search warrants across different counties (Seguin, San Marcos, Richmond).
  • Use of parole records, plate readers, and simultaneous raids.

• Technical Forensics:

  • A distinctive “Tiffany blue” handgun, registered to Navarro, became an important physical clue.
  • Digital forensics: Recovered deleted group chats and texts used to reconstruct planning and execution.

“He had given us the code. And once we got into Kirsten’s phone and saw the deleted texts, all the texts, this chat, then that put pieces together. So that gave us warrants on everybody.”
—Lt. Jeff Mink [24:50]

7. Unraveling the Motive, Mistakes, and Final Arrests

• Rapid Case Break:

  • Coordination and sheer speed solved the case within weeks.
  • Cooperation from a suspect (“Navarro”) later clarified key roles, including implicating Marvin further.

• Personal Angle:

  • Emotional justice materialized when Larry’s brother, Gabe Ortiz, personally handcuffed the shooter.

“How would you feel if somebody killed one of your family members and you were able to put those cuffs on that person that pulled that trigger? Brings a tear to my eye.”
—Lt. Jeff Mink [31:07]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|-------|---------| | [02:19] | “Lt. Jeff Mink, Brazoria County Sheriff's Department.” | Lt. Jeff Mink | | [07:58] | “It’s not a typical robbery spot, so it had to be some connection there.” | Lt. Jeff Mink | | [09:02] | “Crime stats have actually gone down this year. … We’ve upped our patrol. … It’s all data driven now.” | Lt. Jeff Mink | | [13:36] | “People don’t realize or they forget just how many cameras are constantly watching, silently making a record…” | Sean Flynn | | [15:38] | “It’s a honeypot scheme. You send two pretty girls in and they case, they give inside information and then the crew comes in behind them.” | Lt. Jeff Mink | | [16:42] | “Lena even talks about the kids being in there. I would have thought, you know, they would have probably called it off at that point, but they didn’t. Their decision making that night was, to say the least, extremely poor.” | Lt. Jeff Mink | | [24:50] | “He had given us the code. And once we got into Kirsten’s phone and saw the deleted texts … that put pieces together.” | Lt. Jeff Mink | | [31:07] | “How would you feel if somebody killed one of your family members and you were able to put those cuffs on that person that pulled that trigger? Brings a tear to my eye.” | Lt. Jeff Mink |

Important Timestamps & Segments

• [01:56] — Sean Flynn introduces the courthouse setting and re-introduces Lt. Jeff Mink
• [03:47–06:36] — The crime scene and initial police response
• [07:47–09:53] — How the women, the house, and the suspects are connected
• [10:24–14:42] — Social media sleuthing and the power of surveillance cameras
• [15:38] — Explanation of the honeypot robbery scheme
• [19:46–24:07] — The coordinated arrests across counties and technological evidence
• [25:53] — The arrest of Richard Horn by Gabe Ortiz
• [29:09–30:43] — Navarro’s confession and the final wrap-up of the case
• [31:07] — Emotional note on Gabe Ortiz handcuffing his brother’s killer

Conclusion

This episode gives listeners a step-by-step, inside look at the mechanics of a major crime investigation, revealing how digital footprints, a web of personal connections, and police determination converged. The conversation balances procedural detail with the family’s heartbreak, culminating in a rare moment of personal justice for Major Gabe Ortiz. The episode highlights the interplay between relentless police work and the profound personal cost of violent crime.