Texas : Juan Leon Laureles
Brownwood is a small town in West Texas that has had its share of corruption over the years. Even back in the 1990s when Leon Orli the victim in today's case, worked at a local Kroger's grocery store, it wasn't any better. I'm not hating on small Texas towns. This one surely takes the cake. Racism, homophobia and illegal acts happening from normal residents all the way up to the county Attorney.
Make this a place most people wouldn't want to step foot. Then we add a group of locals called Brownwood. Mafiaa makes this town seem like something out of a movie. However, this is real life for Leon's niece, Arlene, and the rest of his family. Who has been fighting to not only find out who killed her uncle, but to hold those in power accountable for their parts in the decades old mishandling of this cold case.
Here's Arlene speaking about the close relationship she and her uncle had. Leon was my uncle, although he was two and a half years older than me. We were very close because. His siblings were a lot older and mine were a lot younger, so it basically, it was just him and I and we grew up together. We played in the high school band together.
We went dancing together. We were just pretty much always together because both of our parents just kind of left us to ourselves. So it was just him and I. He always, always protected me. He was always there for me. He always took care of me. He took care of everyone. He took care of his sick parents, and then he took care of me and then my children.
And so he was just such a loving, kind, giving person and just always wanted to take care of everyone, and everybody who knew him, loved him. I haven't heard one single person say a bad word about him. They all say he was so wonderful. He was so sweet, kind, loving. He was a good friend, a good coworker. And so at the time Leon was killed, I feel like he was just learning to live his life for himself.
He didn't have anyone to take care of anymore. He could be himself, and so he was wanting to come out and started seeing someone and. That's what hurts me the most, that his life was just starting and it was taken away from him. He didn't get to live his life with the person he loved or do things like buy a house and get married and have chills run.
None of those things was some selfish person took him away and my children didn't get to really know their uncle, my grandchildren, because. I know that they would've loved him and he would've loved them, so a lot was taken away. When a person is murdered, it's not just one person that suffers. It's everyone.
Everyone that he worked with, everyone that loved him, every family member, our lives are just completely wet. They're torn apart, and then that's something that you can't replace. You can't just get over and. Time does not heal all the wounds because the wound is still there and it's just as raw as it was that day, and he was such a beautiful person, and that that tears me up because she could have done wonderful things with his life and there could have been so many more people that would've loved him.
So I bis Sam terribly every single day. Did he have like hobbies or what was he into? Yes, he, since he had to take care of his parents, he started cooking for them at an early age. So cooking was his passion. And of course, Mexican and poor, you just made up your, he made up his own, but every single one was just amazing and too bad he didn't write them down so I can recreate them.
Was wonderful. He loved cooking and he loved music and dancing. So he got, he saved up his money and got one of those like disco music boxes with the lights and everything, and we would just play music and be silly and dance. And then when we got older, when we were teenagers, we went to the local dance hall and we, every Saturday, once a month, We would just, him and I would just dance, even though everybody was like old people.
That's what I was gonna say, isn't that usually an older crowd? That's awesome. 'cause we were such a small town, there was no clubs or bars or anything. Now that was the only place we could go at Gina, so that's what we did. Tell us about the town, the kind of vibe of the town At the time. The town was pretty small.
It was very conservative. Most people are Catholic as we were. There wasn't a lot of Hispanic or black people in our town. I didn't know any difference, and my parents or his parents didn't teach us Spanish because they wanted us to not be made fun of in school, so we never learned Spanish.
Both of us were very shy, so he didn't have a whole lot of friends. Plus he was always taking care of his parents or his nieces and nephews, so he didn't socialize a lot now, which is pretty sad. He really missed out on a lot during his childhood and teenage years, but he never once complained.
He just. He was always with a smile. I never heard him yell. I never heard him be mad or say anything ugly to anyone. He just took it in stride and made the best of what he had and that's just the type of person he was. You said his siblings were quite a bit older than him and obviously his parents were quite a bit older and that's why he was left to take care of.
But it seems like he had that helping taking care of nature anyway, so he would've done it regardless of birth order. Exactly. That's exactly who he was. He was always taking care of everyone. Didn't even have to ask him. He just fell into that role. That was who he was. Did his siblings and his like nieces and nephews, they all let you guys all lived in that small town or did they move off when Leon was born?
His, the sibling closest to him was about 15 years old. Okay. His oldest brother had already moved out of the house and was in college, and then the second oldest was also out of the house and my mother too. So the first three siblings were already out of the house. And the other ones were in high school and they were doing things, so he was the one left to clean the house, cook and pick up medications and take him to doctor's appointments.
So he had to drive when he was 14 years old, all the way to Dallas for dialysis. Yeah. 'cause we didn't have one in our town. Leon Woods having some issues the few days leading up to his murder. Correct. Can you start talking about that, like what he said about that, how that happened? Does anybody even know?
Who this was that he was having issues with. Yeah, he was a very private person, so for him to talk about being scared must've been a really big deal. Like he had to be terrified. He told a a couple of coworkers that somebody was threatening him and he was scared, but he didn't know why. He didn't name names to those people.
But a couple of days prior to his death, he told his sister. Lily, that one that was closest in age to him, that the brothers were after him, but he didn't know why. So he actually named names, then they call him the brothers. . And so one reached out and on one of our, and.
So a friend asked him if he wanted to be interviewed by us, and he said he was already interviewed by the police back then and he doesn't have anything to add. We're like, oh, okay. No one's ever mentioned that you were questioned. They were really awful people. They were dealing drugs and always hurting people and have legal guns, but they never really got in trouble.
And now we know why, but. Yeah, if you ask anybody, people are still afraid of them now. They still live there. They're still afraid of them and that's why people don't speak up 'cause they're really tired. So that was like the days leading up to his murder. And then can you tell us about that specific day?
What happened? Where was he going? Where was he? That type of thing. Leon worked the graveyard shifts and he started doing that because he was watching my kids during the day. So he worked the graveyard shift and he just stayed. Once my kids got older, he just stayed at the graveyard shift and he was a person who was always early.
So he left his house at 1130. He got to the Kroger parking lot about 1145. One of his coworkers looked out the window and she did see his car out there. And another car parked next to his. He had a particular place that he parked every time, and she did notice that he was not parked in his usual space.
She just said, oh yeah, Ian's here, and then went back to work. And then when 12 by one came and he hadn't come inside the store, she looked outside and his car wasn't there anymore, and she thought that was weird. So she immediately called my Uncle George is who Leon was living with at that time. So George got up and he went down the path that Leon takes to see if maybe something happened to the car accident.
Car broke down, he didn't see him. He got all the way to the Kroger parking lot, went all the way back home. And as he got home, the coworker called again and said that she called 9 1 1 and they told her that there was a car accident, and that's when she saw the fire truck pass by as she's on the phone with him.
They said it was a car accident, so they assumed that it wasn't Leon and then just, I don't know, 15 minutes later is when she learned that was Leon, that they, so in that, that car accident wasn't on the path that Leon would typically take. It was Oh, okay. Oh wow. I can understand why they thought it was a car accident.
'cause the car was on fire. Yes. Body next to it. Yeah. How old was Leon at this point? He was 30. He had just turned 30. I don't wanna go back, but I also didn't wanna interrupt your questioning. Ha. What is the connection between Leon and the brothers? Wa was there ever, he says that he thinks they're out to get him, but did they work together?
Did they go to high school together? Did they, I don't know. Did he trip over him in the grocery store? What was the connection between the two? From what I understand to brothers would go into the store during Leon's midnight shift and they would steal items. They would threaten him. And then one day, one of his coworkers said that he stood up to them and said that he wasn't gonna let them do that anymore.
'cause he was gonna report them. I don't know if that's what started it. They were also like the big time drug dealers in town. And because the town was small, the parties were usually at somebody's house or out of the lake or something like that. Leon was starting to come out and he was wanting to party and stuff, so I feel like they may have met there and I don't know what transpired, but for some reason they wanted him dead.
I know that one of the brothers, was like super homophobic and he made it very clear he was also, he hated Mexicans, is what he called them. So there could be multiple reasons why they were after him. So Leon's body was found next to the vehicle. It was found like about 10 feet in front of his car.
He was at the line to the gun range. And because Melissa wasn't there with us the day you took me, Me and Hailey out there, as well as the other people for the memorial. She doesn't quite have a image of what's out there. It's off of a major road, a highway, if you will. Okay. But you can only see when you turn left to turn into the gun range.
Really all is the gun range. You have to turn back towards the left to go what looks like a turnaround to go under a bridge, but it doesn't ever actually turn around. There is train tracks that go underneath the bridge. And it sits down below the level of the highway. So you can't really see anything from the highway unless you pull over and like really look.
So the fact that Gotcha, they, the car is on fire is really the only thing that drew attention to anyone even knowing something was down there. Especially at night. There's no lights out there. There is nothing. And it's a, not even a gravel road. I don't know how the people in small cars got down there.
When I went down there in my forerunner, I was nervous. People were gonna get stuck in some of the divots that are in down this little section. Oh, wow. And when it, it does flood down there. So we, people have gotten stuck down there when we go for a memorial. Wow. Brothers have anything to do with that gun range or.
Is that just like a random location? Yeah. Speaking to the town people I have come across people that have told me they, they used to party there and saw in there, so that was like their party spot. Oh. Every weekend. So yes, that place was well known them, but not the rest of us in town. I had no idea it existed.
So did they know what caused the vehicle fire? Accelerants. The only thing that law enforcement told us that because of the fire and the water, putting the fire out there, there would be no evidence that the car was destroyed within the next day. But the way the car was like it was completely burned, every single piece of it.
And so there had to be a lot of accelerant put on the car for it to be that damaged. And that quickly because they got there relatively fast. Yeah. The nine one one call came at, I believe at 1215, so there wasn't much time in between when he left Kroger to the 9 1 1 call, so they had to put accelerant on it.
'cause it was already engulfed and somebody reached out to me and they said that their mom was an L V N just getting off of work at that time. And she's the one that saw the car on fire and she went down and she saw Leon's body and her daughter, he was a nurse, so she went down there that it was in the car, see if she could help.
She said that it was one of the worst things that, you know, that she kept going over because she couldn't save him. So I know that broke my heart for her. But yeah, just because she couldn't save him and she didn't know what else to do, it was really heartbreaking for her. We didn't talk about this a little bit ago, but Leon drove an 88 Thunderbird.
So an actual car, not an S U V, not a pickup truck, a car. And also the fire has nothing to do with Leon's death other than potentially covering something up. Leon was found shot with a gun execution style. So even if someone was at the gun rage, there was a ricochet. There was, it was an accidental situation.
There's no way it could have been the way it was, the way he was found. So, yeah, that was gonna be my next question 'cause I was like, I knew that he was shot, so he's outside. Did they find any evidence like gun casing or gun shell casing, anything like that? Outside of the vehicle. 'cause that would be the only type of evidence they could get.
Exactly. And that's what I've been fighting for, like, for 15 years to get some records or autopsy report so that I could know. 'cause they'd never told us anything. So I, we recently got one page of the autopsy report and it said that the, that he was probably kneeling and they executed him from like the back to the front and he had his hands like this.
So the bullet was lodged in his thumb. So that's something we never knew. So you know, we're like, okay, where's this bullet? They gave it to Jarrow and then it's lost. Yeah. They told us that they didn't have his records because it was lost enough flood, and I looked it up and I'm like, what flood are you talking about?
There hasn't been a flood since 2001. Right after that, like the family gets notified 'cause they know that night that it's Leon. What, what's happening with the investigation right away? Is it all just hush, nobody's saying anything? Or are they, does it look like they're trying to solve it at that first initial point, I, I was young and I was not even, we come from a small town and respect law enforcement, so.
We didn't think to ask more questions. Also, they, the person in charge was Bobby Grubbs. He's a Texas Ranger. He didn't believe women had any part in it. Me, my mom, my aunt, and my cousin, we all had to stay outside the sheriff's department in the dark. And they only spoke to my Uncle George. So he would go in, talk to them and he'd come out and relay some messages to us.
But I feel like he didn't tell us everything because he wanted to protect us. So I don't know all of the information was taking place, but I do know that very morning I have the actual newspaper clipping that shows all of them standing literally on the spot where Leon was. They didn't have booties on, they didn't have gloves on.
They didn't look like they were investigating anything. They was just chit-chatting with the person across the fence that was the owner of the gun range, and they knew each other very well because they were all in the Brownwood mafiaa together, and he also ran the funeral home. So it just didn't look like there was ever any investigation done.
They certainly didn't want to tell us anything, especially not the females in the family. I was never questioned or spoken to. Not once, because he lived we with me the longest and we were very close. And that wasn't even questioned that you think that they would Yeah. Speak with you to find out if he had any enemies.
You said Brownwood. Mafiaa, is that just like a local gang? I don't think. I would call it a gang. It's a group of businessmen in town that Groaner Pits created just for the wealthier people, the men only, and they pretty much ran the whole town. They were in charge of everything.
It's that kind of a group. But they're very proud of it. On many newspaper articles that they were interview for, they mentioned it every time. They were so proud of it and they still are there today. And it's basically, a lot of the men are Howard Payne University that's very racist. So they were pretty proud of that too.
Oh wow. Yeah. Got a lot going on in that town. I can say there really is a lot. It's hard to keep it all tracked line, but there is so many things wrong with that town. I, I don't even know if I could list them all. It's just crazy, especially since I've taken to fa Facebook and podcast. More people are hearing about it because nobody even knew about Leon.
When I started, and so a lot of people have reached out to me and told me because I'm gay, they'll stop me for anything if I'm going one mile over the speed limit and they'll find something to risk before, I don't know, your light is out, your, your tags are about to expire, whatever. So there's a lot of SSR in that town just for being gay and also being Hispanic.
And it's happening to this very same day right now. One person said that because he was gay, he was taken in for questioning, but then he was handcuffed and beat so severely that they broke both of his arms While in custody, another person reached out to me and said that their uncle was taken in for questioning as well, and for he died.
They said it was a suicide, but that he had hung himself on the shower in his cell. First of all, there's not a shower in their cell. Yeah. How, how would that have happened? And so when the, when they got the autopsy report, it showed that he had multiple injuries all over his body, which he didn't have prior to that, but they claimed it was a suicide.
And there's lots of cases like that, people reaching out to me. And that town is so corrupt. It's so awful. And I fear for the people there in Brownwood, especially if you're gay or Hispanic. Even when we were there for the memorial and we were walking when we walked those streets during that Cinco de Mayo Festival, people, you could see it.
People were looking at us strange staring at you like, what are you doing? Why would you bring attention to yourself for the situation? A lot of people wouldn't even accept the flyers we were handing out. It was like an interesting vibe. Some people wouldn't even make eye contact with us. Holy Molly. Yeah, that is, yes.
Don't think that there's still places like this today. I know. I was so surprised and I was like, oh my gosh, I can't believe that it's exactly the same as it was, and I can't even imagine the fear that Leon felt just going out every single day. You just go into the door and how he was harassed and bullied, I can't even imagine.
It breaks my heart. Because he was the type of person, he's always protecting me, so he wouldn't have told me if those things were happening to me, to him, because he wouldn't want to upset me, and so I didn't know what was happening at the time. He was just trying to protect you. Yeah. Yeah. That's just there, like in 2005 there was a new.
Detective Texas Ranger put on the case, and then he actually listed there was a person of interest in the case. Did anything come out about that or did you No. No. Nothing's come out. But also I read like on some of the other cold cases, they say those exact same words, like in the 2000, 2001, 2011. They say that, but nothing ever comes from any of them.
I feel like they just say that to act like they're working it, but they're not. Agreed. Yes, agreed. It's a pacifier. It's a pacifier for families. So that you'll quit bugging them. We're working on it. Oh, we're gonna put someone new on it. We've got new eyes on it. Those types of conversations. Yeah, because Bobby Grubbs, he actually said that two other times.
Or like I'm looking at it and we may have a person of interest, but nothing has ever come from any of that. I've never heard of anybody, anybody being arrested or taken in for questioning. So, That night when police arrived on scene, when the firefighters got out there, put the fire out, realized that Leon was deceased on the scene, and so when it became an actual homicide investigation, that I feel that they removed the vehicle entirely too quickly from the crime scene to have been able to done, to perform an adequate investigation.
Honestly, if you asked me, I don't think they did any investigation. Like I said, they told us immediately that the fire and water would've destroyed any evidence. So they destroyed the car. It was gone within hours. But now we know that there could be some things that would've helped, such as this seat, because Leon was such a tall, big person.
He always had the seat all the way back and reclined. The brothers are short people, so if somebody else was driving his car, you would've been able to tell by the position of his seat. There's little things that could have helped, um, losing the bullet that didn't help. They, I don't feel like they collected any evidence and when I asked the records keeper at the sheriff's department, it's, there was anything that could be tested.
'cause I was willing to do that on my own. She didn't say no, but she just said, we've done everything that we can with what we have. So I feel like they didn't keep anything. I don't think they kept his clothing or anything, so I don't, or they're not willing to release it to you to give to a private lab.
One of the two. Yeah. That's ridiculous. That they like, they even try, even his clothing could have, I don't know, that person's hair or something. You know that. Yeah. Tested like that with d n a, so I don't know, because they won't. I don't think they kept it, but they won't tell me yes or no. For sure. Yeah.
Hey, and that's why see that this case won't ever be saw because there is no actual evidence to test. Yeah. Which is horrible and I feel like they planned it that way. Yep. Back then, they did have a forensic person that would come to crime scenes of murder cases and. They didn't even call that person for Leon's case, even though his car's on fire and he was executed, like that'd be the perfect time for the forensic person to come in and pick up evidence.
They did. Yeah. And if it is such a small town, they're not overrun with murder. You've got nothing but time, but go do it. That's your job. Wow. Yeah. The other connection there is to law enforcement is. The 9 1 1 caller specifically said that there was a red and white pickup truck flatbed with Chrome MAs that were, that was just behind Leon's car at the time.
I just feel, am I still in this nightmare? Because I. These things seem so unreal. Yeah. It seems like a movie.
The more I dig the question everything and everybody there. Yeah. But the DA would have a copy of the autopsy so he should mm-hmm. Have some records. When I called the DA telling him I wanted the autopsy, his exact words to me were, Why do you want the autopsy?
We all know what his demise was. That was his answer to me. Because there's more information on that than what, how he died. , I was just like struck with I, without words, I couldn't, I didn't know what to say. I finally got enough courage to say, because. I want to know if there was any evidence on his clothing, if there any shell casings, or were there other injuries to his body other than that one bullet, because the deputy told us that Leon face was very swollen because he was on an ant bit, and so the funeral director told us not to look at his face, not to look at his.
We could touch him, but not look at him at the funeral home. So we didn't. Now I'm questioning like, I don't think, since you're not a scientist, that you would know what it would, what his face would look like on a, uh, bed once you're dead. But the funny thing is there's another person who's questionable death.
They told that to the family also. How do you, you excuse to not. Let the family look at their face. There must be a lot of aunts in Brownwood, Texas a lot. That's what I was about to say. And it's very coincidental. Everyone just happens to die on the aunt's beds. And why are you using that excuse for two people when we're first their death, but you were there.
There's not any ant beds there. But I, we dumb and we were also like, I was completely destroyed. When this happens to you, these things happen to family members. You're not thinking clearly or objectively. You are grief stricken. You're just hoping to trust the process because you don't know better than to question the process.
And you think you believe the good in all these people that something's gonna happen. Exactly. And it takes years to realize that they're doing nothing for you to start asking the questions. My whole life was so destroyed from that moment because I don't remember how I drove myself to the sheriff's department.
I don't remember that at all. I don't remember getting dressed. I don't even know what I did with my kids. I remember standing outside in the dark, the sheriff's department. And then I remember when light broke, somebody said that it was already in the newspaper and that he had been executed, but we hadn't been told that yet.
So I was angry, like really angry that they would put that out there. So I did drive over there and yell at them because I was just, I wasn't angry. Yeah, I don't remember the next day. I don't remember any of the funeral except. Touching him when the family was with him because we couldn't look at him. I don't remember the funeral at all 'cause people have asked me like, who was there?
I don't know. It's a complete blank. The only thing else I remember is at the graveside, holding onto his casket and bawling. 'cause I didn't want to leave him alone. I couldn't bear the thought of him being alone. Because he was my person, he was my best friend. I couldn't leave. They had to pry me away.
And then I just remember like days after, I just couldn't pull myself together. All I did was cry and I'd locked myself in the bathroom so my kids wouldn't hear me crying. Those are the only things I remember from that day on everything else is a complete blank 'cause my whole life was destroyed and it still feels that way.
'cause there's always that. He's missing during the holidays, which holidays were his favorite time and he'd love cooking and playing music and being silly and he's missing from my life during those times. So it's really hard. I know it's been 27 years, but it's feels just as hard. Yeah. Lakey said there's no time, does not heal all wounds.
No. Oh gosh. What are you getting now from law enforcement? Some of these people surely have aged out of the system as far as their jobs. People aren't willing, the new people that have come in are not willing to crack open these cases. Yeah, they're, I feel like there's this, I don't know. Code code or something that they have where they are sticking to the same story.
So they don't really give me much. I did talk to the, the most recent local Texas Ranger, and what I did find interesting about his comments were that the people that were questioned that night that were, what did he call them? I'm sorry, I'm blanking at words. People that were. Possibly there that they were too intoxicated and high, that they were not credible witnesses.
And I'm like, okay, first of all, what group of people are you talking about? Were people there? Were they party? Were they just watching? I don't understand this. He wouldn't go into further detail. He just said that they were intoxicated. So they're not good credible sources and we know that. They possibly can be, let them sober up.
And I'm sure that whenever you see somebody being murdered, that's not gonna, you're not gonna forget that whether you're drunk or high or not. You know what I mean? Yeah. That was very odd, but it was just another way to tell me that it won't be so, 'cause there's no credible witnesses, like I don't.
Another excuse exactly in the photo that was printed in the newspaper with the sheriff there that you were talking about. I pulled it up to look at who is the person in the jersey. I believe that's the owner of the gun range. Either that's the owner or his son. I find it very strange that they're all basically contaminating this crime scene.
They're just walking all over everything. And he's allowed to be there for that. Yeah. Legally he's not supposed to be there because he owns that property. Yeah. 'cause he should be questioned. , so I don't know what's happening there, but if he looks this newspaper article, you cannot find it.
It's only out there because I have it. I personally have it and put it out there. Otherwise you can't find any, basically anything on Leon. It's all wiped out like, but Facebook was wiped out too. Yeah. You and I have talked about that when I think a little bit at Leon's Memorial because we've asked for, I've asked for files on it.
When we first were introduced to you and introduced to Leon's story back when Hailey approached us about helping. We knew we wanted to cover Leon's story for Texas, but it takes us so long to get through the states that it seems like we've known you forever, but we weren't able to get here quick enough, and we've asked for files and we get not even a response.
Yeah. What happened with your Facebook? Leon's page and my personal Facebook, which just deactivated deleted. I couldn't even appeal it. I couldn't do anything along with my messengers and my Instagram. Everything was wiped off completely. And so how long ago did this happen? Earlier this year, wasn't it? I believe it was, yeah.
Early in the year. Holy crap. It took me literally like, Two weeks to even make myself feel like I needed start a new page. I couldn't even muster the energy because I had put so much kind energy and heartache and so I had so much, I had very, a lot of people had reached out to me that was on there that I completely lost.
Now it was just, I was distraught over it. I wasn't sure I even wanted to start the page again. Yeah, that's interesting. You don't live in the area anymore, or do you live in that area? I moved away few years after Leon was killed. I lived like 70 miles away from there, so I only go there for his memorial.
I don't go there any other time. I was wondering if the police or anyone harassed you for all you're doing to fight for Leon. I'm sure they there, but I don't, and I only go here 'cause it's just too hard to go. I basically just go, 'cause I have a cross that is there in that area, so I go and put flowers or clean up the area or something.
But that's about it. Yeah. It seems like they only try to be sneaky to harass you in underhanded ways. Yeah, because the local sheriff now, he actually is following Leon's page. Thought was very weird, but I'm like, oh wow. Hey. Oh wow. Yeah. What interesting. And our listeners do. Do you have, I believe you used to have a GoFundMe.
Is that still for billboards? Is that like the best way that our listeners, if they want to actually help in some way? Yeah. 'cause basically right now what I really need is an attorney for legal purposes of getting the entire records and autopsy files because without a lawyer, I'm not gonna get anything.
So I still have the GoFundMe. It's not doing well at all, but I still have it there. And that's basically for that reason, for me to hire an attorney. As far as the billboard goes, a season of justice paid for one year for me to have it. And so in September that ends, it'll be a year. Now I've only got a, that reached out to me 'cause she said she drives by it every day.
And it finally got to her that she knew one of the people that. Martyred Leon, she claims, oh, and because she knew this and it was eating at her seat of the billboard every day, she finally came forward. Did she tell you or did she tell law enforcement or both? She told me, and it took her a long time to come out with it because she still very scared.
She's also sure. She's also in a gay relationship, and so she gets harassed all the time, so she's even more scared, and I completely understand that. I'm like, I don't want you to put yourself in danger. I won't use your name, but she told me her best friend's boyfriend was out there and he didn't pull the trigger, but.
He was there when it happened and it had really eaten him up to the point where he said that Leon was haunting him. He would wake up in the middle of the night screaming That Leon's right there and he won't leave. He won't leave. So then he went to like devil worshiping, trying to get Leon's spirit out because he was that haunted by what happened.
But he never did come forward. Wow. And unfortunately there's no police to police the police. Yeah. Who do you go to? I really don't like, at this point. I know that Leon's case won't be solved, but what I want personally is for law enforcement to be held accountable for Leon's case, not investigating properly, not taking the proper protocols.
Along with the other unsolved cases there, because they are exactly the same from like the next day it, it was already cold because they're not investigating it. The Amanda Goodman that she was only 13 was executed too. It's insane. It's insane. And I'm so sorry that you've had to deal with this. Yeah. Yes.
I'm trying to make something good come out of this. I'm trying to start a nonprofit to help those families like me. When I started this, I didn't know where to start, what to ask, who to go to. I didn't know anything. And I want to be able to help those families because they're the same way. They're scared to speak up, but also, who do you go to for help there?
You can't. And so I want to be able to tell their stories and help people remember that person, that they were loved and they mattered, and. The families matter too, so hopefully I can do something with those families too. Yeah, because like he said, especially like you're young, you don't know the system.
We talked to so many families, they're like, we have no clue. There's no book on what to do. If you have a loved one go missing or murdered, and you literally have no law enforcement that's willing to do anything, what are the steps? Because it, you're literally flying blind. Also like in small towns where law enforcement does control the whole town.
There wasn't any back then. There isn't now resources to help victims, families process get therapy or help you find a lawyer or anything like that. There isn't anything there. Yeah, and it's almost like they wanna keep it that way so you don't ask too many questions as well. Yes. Where we stand now with Leon's case is just continuing to advocate honestly.
Just again, pushing for answers, pushing for people to ask questions of these corrupt individuals, and hopefully someone will come forward. I know that right now there is a reward available. Expires in a year. Yes. I'm sorry. Remind me. Okay. On May 16th of next year. Okay. There is a $30,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of whoever did this to Leon.
So please keep that in mind. It's incentive, at the very least, you can be anonymous. Yep. We will share your GoFundMe. Again, we're gonna try to figure out another creative way to.
Get some funds into your GoFundMe so that we can get a lawyer hired in. At the very least, ask questions about what evidence do they have, what is in Leon's box in the basement, because that's likely where they store things that flood. Right. they told me it was in the basement when I called the sheriff's department.
I spoke to the records keeper that told me they've done everything they can. She told me it was in the basement and she said she knows because she's looked at the, like, periodically they bring the, you know, the box out and she said it's in the basement.
That's the only way, this is the only way I know how to keep Leon's memory alive and to, I want people to know what an amazing person he was and that he's deeply missed every single day. And I want them to remember who he was and not just what happened to him, but also bring awareness of what happened.
Whitney & Haley Gray (Haley Gray Research & True Crime Podcast Training) walking to raise awareness during a memorial for Leon in May 2023.
If you have any information about who murdered Juan Leon Laureles please contact Heart of Texas Crime Stoppers 800.222.8477.
