The Unsolved Murder of Leon Laureles Part 3: The Murder, the Investigation, The Call for Justice

In this gripping third episode of "Box in the Basement," host Arlene takes us through the harrowing details surrounding the unsolved murder of her uncle, Leon Laureles. "The Murder, the Investigation, The Call for Justice" uncovers the events of that fateful night on May 10, 1996, in Brownwood, Texas, and the ensuing flawed investigation that left more questions than answers.

As Arlene pieces together Leon's last encounters, including troubling threats and ominous figures, she sheds light on the potential hate crime aspect of his murder. The episode scrutinizes the investigation's shortcomings, from the mishandling of crucial evidence to the biased narratives pushed by law enforcement, raising concerns about systemic negligence and possible homophobia.

But this episode goes beyond recounting the past. It is a fervent call to action. We are initiating a fundraising campaign to hire an attorney who can work on the Homicide Victims Family's Act of 2022. This new law offers a glimmer of hope for families like ours, who have been navigating the justice system without representation. It's time to bring fresh eyes and renewed vigor to Leon's case and many others who have been left in the shadows.

Join us in this critical mission to seek justice for Leon and countless others. Your support can make a tangible difference, helping us to hire legal experts who can navigate the complexities of this new law and give voice to those who have been silenced. To contribute to our cause and learn more, visit justiceforleon.com.

"Box in the Basement" is more than just a podcast; it's a platform for advocacy, truth-seeking, and community support. Subscribe, share, and help us bring Leon's story to light. Every listen, every share, every donation moves us closer to justice.

#TrueCrime #UnsolvedMurder #JusticeForLeon #ColdCaseInvestigation #TexasTrueCrime #PodcastSeries #MurderMystery #VictimsRights #LeonLorellas #InvestigativeJourney #HateCrime #LegalJustice #CommunityImpact #BrownwoodTexas #Fundraiser #HomicideVictimsFamilysAct

Support Box in the Basement Victims

• Leon Laurales: Website & GoFundMe
• Amanda Goodman: Justice for Sissy Facebook Page
• Jennifer Sue Delgado Memorial Foundation

Transcript

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Transcribed by https: otter. ai Hello, and welcome to box in the basement podcast. My name's Arlene. I'll be your host on this podcast journey. I am the niece of Leon. Barelas. who was shot execution And Leon. style at age 30 on May 10th, 1996. Outside of Brownwood, Texas. And whose murder has never been solved. Now that you know, a little more about me. And Leon. Let me tell you what happened on May 10th, 1996, and shortly before. It is important to note that I have never had access or seen any formal records from law enforcement or the private eye we hired. This is what I have investigated on my own and pieced together from witnesses, newspapers, and my own research. If you haven't listened to part one And two. of this series, stop here and go do that. Thanks. Won't make much sense if you don't start at the beginning. Today, I will start with the two weeks prior to Leon's murder. Our cousin, Jesse was living in Brownwood at this time. And was cruising the main streets when he saw Leon at a local park, talking to a guy in a little red sports car that he didn't recognize. Jessie turned around to see what Leon was up to. He was stopped at a red light when across the road from where Leon and the red car were sitting. There were two guys in a black car sitting and staring at them. Jesse said he pointed to the black card to let these guys, whoever they were. No, that he saw them. By the time he got to the park. The red car was leaving. Jesse then asked Leon who the guy in the red car was. And Leon told him it was a friend who was a doctor at the local hospital. Now fast-forward to a few days before May 10th. Jesse was again, cruisy in the main streets and Solly on parked in his own car. A black Thunderbird. At the blockbuster video parking lot. That was across the street from kroger, grocery store. Where Leon worked. Jesse pulled up and asked why he was parked there. Leon told him that it was because he was waiting for his girlfriend. He also mentioned that this girlfriend's father had threatened him. Essentially. If he ever was caught with the daughter, this person would kill him. Now I'd like to point out here that Leon was gay. And he was not out to any of our family. I believe when he said girlfriend and daughter, he meant boyfriend and son. This is very important and plays into why we believe this was a hate crime. Let's back up slightly to week prior to Leon's death. And talk about some other warnings or red flags that we see in hindsight. Leon told a couple of coworkers. That he was being threatened and harassed and he was scared. I've since found out from some of Leon's former coworkers and other Brownwood locals. That a group of local scumbags called north side posse. We'll go into Kroger to steal merchandise. It's possible that this is who Leon was referring to. Maybe some of the north side posse members were threatening Leon. Or otherwise making his life difficult. I was told that Leon had actually confronted some of these north side guys not long before his murder. And he let them know that he wasn't going to tolerate them stealing and causing trouble anymore. On the day before his untimely death. Leon was visiting his sister, Lily in bangs, Texas, which is about 11 miles from Brownwood. And he mentioned that a couple of brothers associated with the north side posse were after him. But he didn't know why. Again, hindsight being 2020. We can start making some assumptions and building a couple of narratives that fit with the stories. We've heard. But at the time, it wasn't really a cause of too much concern. This brings us to May 9th. I was working at the Walmart in Brownwood at this time. I ran the jewelry counter, which was located at the front of the store with a view of the front door. Leon would come into the store at least twice a week, every week. Just to say hello and visit for a few minutes. On May 9th. He didn't come into the Walmart. But I wasn't really too concerned. He didn't come in every single day. And so I didn't think too much of it. Some days he had other things to do, or if he wasn't feeling well, he would stay home and rest. Or maybe he was out with friends. When I got off of work that day and walked out into the parking lot. I immediately saw his car in the parking spot where he usually parked. This struck me as really odd. Because I didn't see him come inside. It would have been hard for me to miss him walk into the store. But even if he'd come in while I was occupied with other things, It would have been highly unusual for him not to stop by my counter. First thing. So at this point, I literally stopped and asked myself if I should go back into the store and look for him. I decided not to. I was tired. I had three boys at home waiting for me. THis decision has filled me with a tremendous amount of regret and guilt to this day. For 27 years, that guilt has consumed me. It has eaten away at meat every moment of every single day. I play it in my mind that if I had just gone back in and found him. I would have noticed something was wrong. Or maybe he would have confided in me and I could help. In some way and he'd still be here today. My head and my brain realized that there is very little chance I could have done anything to stop the events of that night from happening. But it's very hard to convince my heart of that. At the time of his death. Leon was living in bangs with his brother, George. And work in the overnight shift. At Kroger, grocery store. At 11:30 PM. Leon left his home and drove to his workplace. Arriving around 11:45 PM. Leon was very reliable. And luck to arrive early to work so that he could spend some time talking with his coworkers before his shift. A co-worker working in the cash office. All Leon arrive at the store around that time. And she told me in a recent conversation that she saw his car and thought to herself. Yay. Leon is here. And then went back to work. She noticed that Leon didn't park in his usual spot. There was another vehicle in Leon spot. So Leon had to park next to that vehicle. But the coworker does not remember what type of vehicle it was. It's one of those things that just didn't seem important at the time. And for that, she says she carries. A huge amount of guilt. I know how she feels, but I also know that there's no way she could have ever predicted that this night would be any different from the hundreds of other nights. It makes me sad that she has carried this guilt with her to this day. I want her to know she did nothing wrong. There would have been nothing she could have done to prevent what happened to Leon. You know that this is the same guilt I have felt since that day. And I don't know why I can't allow myself to let it go. But I do not wish for her to carry any more guilt. I love her for lovingly Yun. And caring for him the way she did. We need more people like her in this world. In any case when this co-worker realized she had not seen Leon clock in at 12:00 AM. She looked out into the parking lot and saw that Leon's car was no longer there. She immediately called Leon's brother George and asked him if Leon was there. George said no, he hadn't come back home. So the coworker relayed to him that she saw his car, but that he never came inside. George van got in his car and drove the route. Leon took to get to work and made it to Kroger. But saw no sign of Leon or his Thunderbird. George then turned around and we traced his own route back home. Thinking Leon may have gotten a flat tire or had a breakdown along the way. He got back home and called the store to touch base. Leon's coworker answered the phone. And at that very moment, she saw a fire truck passed by. Apparently this coworker had already called the local police to see if any calls had come in. That makes plain Leon's absence. But the cops told her only one call had come in. And it had been for a car accident. The coworker relayed this information to George. And told him about the firetruck. And George then called either the police or the Sheriff's department. Not really sure which one it was. At approximately 12:22 AM on May 10th, 1996. 9 1, 1 dispatch received a cough. For a car on fire on access road. Farm to market road 2126. Just outside of Broward, proper near a gun range and a set of railroad tracks. The color also reported scene. A red and white Ford pickup truck with Chrome mirrors. A flatbed. A trailer hitch. Driving slowly behind the car that was on fire when they passed the first time. Was the truck just driving on the access road near that Thunderbird. Or following the Thunderbird. Not clear. From what I understand this collar did not stop to help. Just after that another nine one one call was received about the car on fire. Off of farm to market road 2126. This caller was an RN on her way back home from her shift at the hospital. Which was just a few miles up the road from the crime scene. Just last year in 2022. This color's daughter reached out to me to let me know that was her mom and that her mother felt so much heartache about that night. Because as a nurse, she is trained to help people. But she couldn't help Leon. She stopped to help rescue anyone that might be trapped in the burning car. But it was simply too late. This spot is not an easy place to get down to, but she made it down to the burning Thunderbird. She then noticed Leon's body lanes, several feet from the car. But at this point, there was nothing she could do. She knew he was gone. I wish you could have met her. I would have given her a big hug and tell her, thank you. Thank you for stopping. Thank you for caring enough to want to help. Thank you for not just driving away. I was told by a Texas ranger that looked into the case many years later, that there may have been some kids and our young adults partying on the railroad tracks near where the crime scene took place. It was apparently a pretty popular hangout spot. The ranger said, however that all the witnesses in the area. At the time were intoxicated and on drugs. So they weren't credible. That is, but one of the many missteps in strange turns that night and subsequent investigation took. The Sheriff's office showed up at the crime scene. And the brown county sheriff at the time, bill Donna, who immediately recused himself, citing a conflict of interest. Which is something that has never been expanded on while Donna who was alive. And we still don't really know what this alleged conflict of interest was. From what I understand if the county sheriff recuses himself. That means the entire Sheriff's department. Can't actively participate in the investigation. Essentially. Leon's Marta was immediately handed over to the Texas Rangers. And as such. The case was almost immediately fumbled and mishandled. If you look at any of the photos I posted on Leon's website or social media pages I have set up for his case. You'll see a picture of the Brownwood bulletin newspaper from the morning after Leon's murder. Right there on the front page or several Sheriff's deputy standing in the middle of the crime scene they're supposed to be staying away from. This was a harbinger of things to come. I spoken to a couple of investigators that worked both sides of murder scenes in the mid 1990s. And it was standard protocol to wear protective gear like booties and gloves while working, he seen. Nobody at this scene is wearing any kind of protective gear. In that photograph as they stand. Where Leon's body was lane, just a few short hours earlier. As I mentioned earlier, the Texas Rangers. We're immediately called in to handle the case. The man assigned to the Brownwood area was Bobby grubs. Who would later become brown county sheriff. But that's another story for another time. The good old boy network was in full swing. If you look closely at the photo of the cops at the crime scene. You'll notice a man in civilian clothes. On both sides of the fence line. We've never really been able to definitely. Identify him. But we believe it may have been the owner of the property that ran up alongside that access road really on his body was found. He's basically in the crime scene. So if he wasn't a cop. Which we're pretty sure he wasn't. Who was he? If he was the property owner, why was he so close and in the crime scene? I know who owned the property at that time. And he was a prominent Brownwood, businessman and the local undertaker. Was this some kind of official undertaker related business. Or was this the good old boy Brownwood mafia network at work again? Maybe I'm reading entirely too far into that aspect of the photo and the story. But there are just too many missteps and consistencies. Something that doesn't feel right about it. That brings us to the next huge red flag in the investigation. Which was the complete lack of evidence. Leon's burnt out. Thunderbird was immediately taken to the junk yard. And it was destroyed. Or at least lost, not long after the murder. Stick around long enough for the private investigator. We hired William deer. To take a few photos. And then it disappeared forever. I asked law enforcement about what kind of evidence they've collected. For example, did they have Leon's clothing? Or anything from his car? I was told they kept nothing. When Leon was shot, the bullet went through the back of his head. Exited the front. And lodged itself in his hand. Which he had in front of his face. That bullet was taken from the scene and was put in a desk drawer. Not put in any kind of case file or evidence locker. From what I've been told. I'm not a cop, but I am fairly certain that this is in no way, standard procedure. Many years later. I made inquiries at the brown county offices about Leon's case file and other evidence. I was told that the Box in the basement. containing the relevant paperwork and information had been destroyed in a flood. And therefore the case had not been digitized. I personally have not been able to find E record of such a flood. Miraculously though, after making further inquiries, I found out that the case had been digitized after all. I have many doubts about the fidelity of the case file and its existence in general. Years ago. My uncle George told me a story about ranger grubs. Consulting his file. And quotations. On Leon. And it was two sticky notes. The whole file was two tiny pieces of paper. George immediately lost all respect for the investigators, working on the case and seem to resign himself to the fact that Leon's murder would never be taken seriously. Grubbs was old school. And was fond of saying that he hated computers. So my confidence in the existence of any kind of useful case file is low. Grubs also refuse to interview any of Leon's female relatives. Whether this was just laziness or misogyny. I don't know. But he never asked me. My mother or my aunts or cousins. Any questions about Leon? He seems to have made up his mind and he didn't want to be bothered. It took me 26 years. Just to get a copy of Leon's autopsy. And even that was questionable. The autopsy report itself, wasn't signed by the medical examiner. Or the deputy that was there to witness it. Who shouldn't have been there in the first place since the sheriff had recused himself. I have about one page and a half from the autopsy. Was that the full report? I don't know. That's all I've been given. And I should note here that Leon's body was taken to Travis county instead of Tarrant county. Which is where brown county usually took its cases. Why. Nobody has ever been able to answer that. Also the autopsy took place the very same day. Took two hours and Leon was back in brown county by that afternoon. And we had his funeral. Two days later. There are just so many small and consistencies that add up to a whole lot of suspicious behavior. Immediately after Leon's murder law enforcement began pushing the narrative that it was related to drugs. Leon and I no longer lived in the same household together at this time. But I had never witnessed or heard of him using or dealing any kind of drugs. Nobody who knew well could ever recall him being into illegal drugs. Obviously people can hide things. But Leah was simply not the type to deal in that kind of thing. He wasn't a big partier. He didn't really hang out with junkies or low lives. And nobody ever found any drugs. In his car, in his room at George's house or on his person. In 2022, when I finally got my hands on that partial copy of the autopsy. It was reported that Leon's talk screen was clean. Again, this doesn't completely eliminate drugs as a motive. But it seems pretty damn low on the list. Grubbs went to Kroger that night. After the murder and began questioning Leon's coworkers. Pushing them hard to corroborate some kind of drug related motive. I mentioned the north side posse earlier. And it was well-known. That those guys were heavy into doing and dealing drugs. There was a pretty well oiled drug trafficking scheme happening in Brownwood. And they ran the show. It would be easy to assume and attribute any kind of murder to the drugs lingers, which is exactly what seems to have happened. Grubs, even insinuated that Leon brought this on himself. By associating with junkies and dealers. Even though there were literally zero witnesses to that effect. Again, Was this a coverup? And attempt to shift the blame and the story away from the real killers. Or. Was it just law enforcement wanting to close a case quickly and be done with it. A little of both. Grubs and Donna who are dead now. So we may never know. The injustice against Leon and against our family is unimaginable. The disrespect for Leon is heartbreaking. Whether it was incompetence or corruption. The way they handled Leon's case is astonishing because they chose to do as little as possible to solve Leon's murder. Not only did they contaminate the crime scene? Didn't store evidence properly. Like the bullet that was lodged in Leon's hand and is now lost. I am fairly confident Leon's case was handled this way because he was gay. And he was considered as a throw away. Homophobia is, and always has been pretty rampant in the Brownwood area. Just a few years ago, someone attempted to have a pride parade in Brownwood. And the local law enforcement was pretty vocal and their disapproval of gay people. Things were obviously worse three decades ago. There's also the lack of interest to do their jobs properly. Along with the total disrespect to the family with so many lies. The lack of communication and spreading false narratives. Then there's the political side. Grubs the ranger handling the case was elected brown county sheriff in 2004. And like to say that one of his main priorities was solving Leon's case. But from what I've told you before, this was not really a sincere assertion. Remember the sticky notes. As we all know from listening to true crime podcast. Reading true crime books and watching our little murder shows. This kind of thing happens way more often than we'd like to admit. Cases are Ms. Handled due to laziness and or incompetence? Incorrect assumptions are made. Corruption screws over victims and families. And resources are too scarce. Even when law enforcement is capable. And the last episode, we mentioned that there are 270,000 unsolved murders in the United States justice system. Right now. And over 20,000 of them are in Texas alone. Leon's case is supposedly with the Texas Rangers cold case division. And they claim to be working the case. But realistically. There is not much happening on that front. According to state law. If a case hasn't been actively worked within a certain number of years. The family is entitled to the case files as they exist. So the agency handling the case, we'll pull the file every so often to keep it active. Even if no work is actively being done. This is just one more aspect of the inner workings of the justice system that is incredibly frustrating to families and friends of victims. Well, I appreciate the need of certain information to be kept close to the vest. At a certain point. When does it become more helpful to withhold information then to release it? Our Leon's files in a basement. Where things go to just die, collecting dust and continuing to bring heartache to all of those left behind. Why do they refuse to let anyone see them? What are they hiding? What are they afraid of? Why do they refuse to invite outside? Help? I hope these questions are answered in my lifetime. I don't think I can rest in peace when I die. If I never get answers. As we remember those who have passed. Let us also remember the lessons they have taught us. They have taught us the importance of kindness. Uh, compassion. And that we must embrace those moments. To all who are still fighting. We stand with you. You are not alone. We will fight alongside you and we will never give up hope. We will continue to support you. To uplift you. And to be a source of strength for you. To those that knew Leon, may you never forget the light he brought into our lives. Maybe we all take the strength from the survivors and work to bring justice for him. I will fight tirelessly for justice for Leon. He was my person and I will fight for justice until my last breath. Please help me fight for justice for Leon. If you know anything. Please speak up. For those who have spoken up to law enforcement with what they've heard and saw. Thank you. What we need now is anyone with evidence to please come forward? Leon's family. Leon's friends. And brown county deserve answers this podcast has a bigger purpose than Just providing information and the entertainment. The homicide victims, families rights act is a bipartisan bill that was signed into law by Congress in 2021. And we want to see it put into action. This law establishes a systematic process for reviewing case files. Related to cold case murders. The focus is on providing a mechanism for the families and friends of murder victims. To request a formal review of such cases. We need an attorney or teams of attorneys and legal professionals To take on the bold and brave fight against the system around the country. In our case, we need someone to fight for Leon to help not only put fresh eyes on the case. But to get his body zoomed, to search for evidence that was not collected the first time around. We and other families and friends need assistance with getting foyer requests. It blows our minds that so many murders occurred from 1976 to 1997. In Brownwood, Texas under the watch of the same investigators, responsible for handling Leon's case. We're going to look at all the unsolved murders in Brownwood. And maybe even if you solved ones, if it helps uncover what was happening in that era that left so many families devastated. And a community living in fear. If you want to hear more about victim focused. Unsolved cases. And get updates about what we know. Please subscribe, like and share our podcast. Also visit our website. Justice for leon.com to donate to our cause to hire an attorney. Plus you can submit a tip anonymously You can also join our email list to stay current on developments on Leon's case and other cases. We cover as they happen. Thank you so much for listening. Please be kind. Later Gators Transcribed by https: otter. ai