Teen accused of robbing, stabbing El Paso man to death over unpaid sexual encounters
A 57-year-old El Paso man was robbed of his car and stabbed to death in his home because he allegedly hadn't paid for sexual favors, a prosecutor said.
Samuel Ortiz Lozano was found slain on the afternoon of April 10 in his home at the Hampton Court Apartments at 1820 Montana Ave., near Cotton Street in Central El Paso.
Juan Pablo Gil, 19, who authorities said moved to El Paso from Illinois less than a year ago, faces a capital murder charge in what a prosecutor described as a pre-planned slaying.
A magistrate judge at a Wednesday bond hearing decided to keep the $1.25 million bond set in the case, saying Gil was a potential flight risk and citing the safety of the community.
Gil, who required a Spanish translator at the hearing, is a U.S. citizen, his lawyer said. He remains held at the El Paso County Jail in Downtown.
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Capital murder includes cases in which a victim is killed in the commission of a robbery or another crime. It is punishable by life in prison or the death penalty.
The El Paso District Attorney's Office has not said whether it will pursue the death penalty.
Murder case on Montana Avenue
During the online teleconference hearing, Assistant District Attorney John Briggs described the case as follows:
On Sunday, April 10, family called police to check on Ortiz Lozano because they had not heard from him and were worried. Officers found him stabbed to death on the floor of his apartment.
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The man's car — a silver 2013 Hyundai Elantra — and his cellphone were missing.
Briggs noted that Gil was identified by investigators as a suspect in the killing through a bloody fingerprint left on a table in the apartment.
Four days later, the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force located the missing car on Coronado Road in the Cedar Grove neighborhood near Riverside High School in the Lower Valley, Briggs said.
Police set up surveillance and watched Gil enter the car and drive off. Officers pulled him over and arrested him at the intersection of Hawkins Boulevard and North Loop Drive.
When interviewed by detectives, Gil allegedly admitted to stabbing, kicking, punching and strangling Ortiz Lozano with a towel, Briggs said.
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Gil allegedly told investigators that he planned to kill the man and take his car because he had not paid him for past sexual encounters, Briggs said.
Briggs said that Gil allegedly told detectives that he took a backpack filled with extra clothes with him in case he got blood on his clothing on the day of the killing.
Gil revealed to detectives the location of the clothing and knife used in the attack, as well as the dead man’s stolen phone, Briggs said. The items were retrieved.
Defense flies 'sexual coercion' allegation
During the hearing, public defense lawyer Rene Vargas suggested Gil could be "a victim of sexual coercion" prior to the homicide given an “imbalance of power" and the age gap between the men.
Briggs countered there was no evidence in the affidavit filed by detectives that Gil was a victim.
The Texas Department of Public Safety sex offender registry lists Ortiz Lozano as a registered sex offender of moderate risk.
In 1996, Ortiz Lozano was convicted of indecency with a child by contact involving a 12-year-old boy, according to the Texas DPS registry. He was required to have annual lifetime registration.
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At the hearing, Vargas attempted to get his client's bond amount reduced, saying Gil cooperated with investigators, including disclosing the location of evidence.
Vargas described Gil as a laborer with a pregnant girlfriend and no criminal record besides an arrest in connection with a burglary of an El Paso auto lot last summer.
The case of the missing stolen truck
Last August, Gil allegedly broke into an auto sales lot on Alameda Avenue, Briggs said at the hearing.
Gil allegedly burglarized three vehicles, found the keys to a Chevrolet Silverado and drove away in the pickup by ramming it through a gate, Briggs said.
Days later, police found the truck parked near Washington Park with Gil’s Illinois driver’s license left inside. The truck was towed to an impound lot, the prosecutor said.
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Gil contacted police to say the truck was missing and was arrested after confessing to burglarizing the auto sales lot, Briggs explained. Gil was arrested on three counts of burglary of a vehicle, theft over $2,500 for the truck and criminal mischief for damage to the gate at the business.
Jail records show Gil was released Aug. 10 on a personal recognizance bond requiring no money. An arrest warrant for him was later issued after he failed to report to authorities.
The car lot burglary case is pending in court.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at 915-546-6102; dborunda@elpasotimes.com; @BorundaDaniel on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Teen accused of robbing, stabbing El Paso man to death over unpaid sex
