“A thrilling ticktock on the borderland slayings and the effort to solve them."—Texas Monthly
The shocking true-crime story of a U.S. Border Patrol agent turned serial killer, the four sex workers whom he mercilessly killed, and the upended border town of Laredo where his heinous crimes occurred.
Twelve days is all it took.
Melissa Ramirez, Claudine Anne Luera, Guiselda Hernandez, and Janelle Ortiz were four marginalized women striving to make ends meet as sex workers. They looked out for one another. But they would soon share a connection that none of them could have imagined. When Melissa was found dead, the other three women were on edge but assumed they were safe. Twelve days later, they too were dead and police had detained an unlikely suspect—Juan David Ortiz, a ten-year veteran of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, where he carried a badge, a service revolver, and was entrusted to protect the community in which he eventually killed. From September 3 through September 15, 2018, Ortiz, a husband and doting father to three children, lured his victims into his white Dodge truck and drove them to the outskirts of town where he violently executed them, leaving them dead or dying on the sides of dark, rural roads.
In this fast-paced, electrifying tick-tock, Pulitzer Prize–winning USA TODAYjournalist Rick Jervis tells the gripping story of the four murders that shook the small border town of Laredo, and the quest to unmask a cold, calculated killer who was hiding in plain sight. The Devil Behind the Badge is also a deeply human portrait of the four lives lost and an attempt to uncover what motivated Ortiz’s descent into darkness. Along the way, it raises serious questions about the border crisis, the abuse of law enforcement, and the challenges of a federal agency to police its own ranks.
Author Info
Rick Jervis is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist with more than two decades of experience working at the Miami Herald, the Wall Street Journal Europe, the Chicago Tribune, and USA TODAY, where he has worked since 2005. He lives in Austin, Texas. The Devil Behind the Badge is his first book.
Reviews
“A thrilling ticktock on the borderland slayings and the effort to solve them. [Jervis’] book is well crafted and provides a thorough, detailed portrait of Ortiz ... The facts Jervis presents position his readers to conclude that to a disturbing degree, the serial killer of Laredo was deeply affected by the institutions he served ... The character study in The Devil Behind the Badge takes readers as close as anyone can get to understanding what turned him into a monster.” — Texas Monthly
"The chilling story of a serial killer with a Border Patrol badge" — USA Today
"The Devil Behind the Badge uncovers the hunt for Ortiz and the agent’s descent into bloodthirsty darkness." — Texas Public Radio
“Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Rick Jervis delivers the tragic, headline-grabbing story with staccato precision and emotional depth … An unsettling account of a serial killer leading a double life: masquerading as an upright citizen, while at the same time mercilessly preying on society’s most vulnerable.” — BookPage
“It’s gripping stuff. It’s also moving because Jervis takes care to put the women ... at his book’s center. Despite its title, Devil is really about the poverty, addiction and racism that put these four in the path of danger.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“An incredible discussion about the border crisis … amazing, gripping … Jervis does an incredible job deconstructing the Border Patrol agent's life, the events that led to his killing spree, and the women that he preyed upon.” — Texas Standard
“Chilling and excellent.” — History Nerds United
"An affecting true-crime drama that captures unsettling realities of the southern border." — Kirkus Reviews
"A deep dive into dark, chill waters. Rick Jervis is a gifted writer and reporter, and this shocking, important story is one worthy of his talents." — Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author of King: A Life and Ali: A Life.
"The Devil Behind the Badge is the most immersive, deeply reported work of true crime I've read in years. It's a terrifying portrait of a murderer, yes, but Jervis's true achievement is bringing these victims to life—no easy feat given that, as sex workers, they often defied documentation. There's no question that this book is comfortably on par with Lost Girls and Killers of the Flower Moon." — Elon Green, author of Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York
"A harrowing non-fiction thriller that reads better than some of the best crime novels. Jervis' impeccable reporting of a Border Patrol serial killer who went on a deadly rampage breaks new ground and renews disturbing questions about impunity in an agency tasked with overseeing the most vulnerable. The story is a can’t-put-it-down, mystery that unravels dramatically with each page.” — Alfredo Corchado, author of Midnight in Mexico and Homelands
