TX Juan Leon Laureles, 29, shot to death,near his burning Ford Thunderbird,10 May 1996

[dotr]

Investigators focusing on 1996 murder
"...29-year-old Juan Leon Laureles of Bangs was found shot to death near his burning 1988 Ford Thunderbird off FM 2126.

The crime has not been solved, but people with information are talking, less concerned about retaliation now than they were when Laureles was murdered on May 10, 1996, sheriff’s officials said."

"According to the May 10, 1996 edition of the Bulletin, a motorist made a 9-1-1 call at 12:30 that morning to report a burning vehicle off FM 2126, also known as the Access Road. Firefighters and deputies responded, and as the fire was being extinguished, Leon Laureles’ body was discovered a few feet away.

He had been shot in the back of the head, then-Chief Deputy Glen Smith told the Bulletin.

Laureles had left his home six miles west of Brownwood at around 11:30 p.m. the night before, and was due at his work at Kroger at midnight, Smith said."

 

[CentralTxCrime]

I was contacted by one of his relatives recently who said he was gay and there has always been a question about whether it was a hate crime. He lived with his brother and wasn’t super out - was a bit of a homebody.

 

[dotr]

I was contacted by one of his relatives recently who said he was gay and there has always been a question about whether it was a hate crime. He lived with his brother and wasn’t super out - was a bit of a homebody.

Welcome to Ws CentralTxCrime!
Poking around it seems there are others who think this may be a hate case, interesting considering the victim said that people were mad at him but he did not know why.
speculation, imo.
Investigators focusing on 1996 murder
“There were persons of interest that the sheriff directed me toward, to either get them eliminated as persons of interest or go forward,” Simpson said. “They have not been able to be eliminated as persons of interest in this case. They are the focal point of the investigation.”

Laureles’ brother, George, said he spoke with Grubbs Friday about the investigation.

“I’m just hoping to have it solved one day, and hoping it will be soon,” George Laureles, 55, of Bangs, said. “We’ve been waiting a long time for this. ... I don’t think it’s a case that cannot be solved. It’s very hard, but we’ve got to keep hoping.”

George Laureles said Leon had told their sister a short time before he was killed that “certain people were mad at him. He said he did not know why.”

 

[justiceforleon]

Thank you for taking the time share my uncle's information. A few thing from both of those news articles are not correct. He was actually 30 when he was murdered not 29.

I was only in high school when he was murdered and was never given any information as far as evidence to his murder. This May will be 25 years since he was murdered. Whenever I reach out to original poster for thanking them for sharing his information online I always have a few people message with hearsay each time it's posted. I am hoping to spend all of my time during Christmas break creating a document with all of the information I have received thus far. January 3rd is his birthday and I am also hoping to create a fundraiser to be able to place billboards in Brownwood to help bring awareness to this hate crime and let people know his family has not forgotten.

Leon was a kind soul, he loved to dance and bring joy to people. If you ever met him in person you would never forget his name. He would light up a room with his bright personality and had a heart of gold.

 

[dotr]

Thank you for taking the time share my uncle's information. A few thing from both of those news articles are not correct. He was actually 30 when he was murdered not 29.

I was only in high school when he was murdered and was never given any information as far as evidence to his murder. This May will be 25 years since he was murdered. Whenever I reach out to original poster for thanking them for sharing his information online I always have a few people message with hearsay each time it's posted. I am hoping to spend all of my time during Christmas break creating a document with all of the information I have received thus far. January 3rd is his birthday and I am also hoping to create a fundraiser to be able to place billboards in Brownwood to help bring awareness to this hate crime and let people know his family has not forgotten.

Leon was a kind soul, he loved to dance and bring joy to people. If you ever met him in person you would never forget his name. He would light up a room with his bright personality and had a heart of gold.

Welcome to Ws justiceforleon!
Sorry for the circumstances that brought you here, will look for more news links to post, hopefully you will too, accurate information is important.

 

[kai]

Copied from the Justice for Leon Laureles fb page:

You can hear podcasts of Leon’s story on
The Fall Line - Season 12 Episode 1

Gone Cold Texas True Crime
Part 1 May 16 and Part 2 May 18 2021

The Murder in My Family
Episode 89 2021

Texas Wine and True Crime
Feb 22, 2022

Crawlspace
April 20,2022

 

[dotr]

Juan Leon Laureles, 29 - Bing images
2021 rbbm.

Brownwood's Leon Laureles 1996 murder case remains unsolved (brownwoodtx.com)
rbbm.
''Juan Leon Laureles spent much of his life tending to his ailing parents. He loved his family, job and life. But, he hid something that wouldn't have been easily accepted in 1996 West Texas. He was gay.

Some people speculate this may be why the Bangs resident was found dead by his burning 1988 Ford Thunderbird on a lonely rural road outside of Brownwood on May 10, 1996. Others, including law enforcement, believe he saw something he shouldn't have.

Speculation aside, one thing remains true. His death was no accident.''

"He liked pop music, and his favorite was Madonna," Harbison said. "At the time of his death, his favorite song was 'Because You Loved Me' by Celine Dion. We played it at his funeral."

''Leon, as he was known, lived a fairly quiet life. His death was anything but quiet.

Two days before his death, Leon told his sister he was afraid people wanted to hurt him, but wasn't sure why, according to family interviews with The Fall Line podcast.

On May 10, 1996, Leon left his brother's home and drove 15 minutes away to his midnight shift at Kroger. Coworkers reported seeing his 1988 Ford Thunderbird in the parking lot about 11:45 p.m., but it was gone by midnight, the start of Leon's shift.

Another vehicle, which had parked beside him, also left at the same time.''

''They found him shot "execution-style" beside his burning car.

"He was on his knees, and they shot him in the back of the head," Harbison said. "There had to be someone driving and another (person) who forced him to drive out to the gun range. There had to be more than one person."

"I’m very hopeful that with the heightened interest in cold cases, someone’s going to review the file again."

Alana Edgin is a journalist covering Crime and Courts in West Texas. Send her a news tip at aedgin@gannett.com. ''

 

[bykerladi]

Official page: (20+) Justice for Leon Laureles | Facebook

 

[Tbone144]

There is a billboard in Brownwood that looks to be new looking for information. Just drove by it today.

 

[dotr]

by: Tyler Henderson May 11, 2022 rbbm

1996 Murder investigation of Brownwood-native remains unsolved

BROWNWOOD, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – No answers or developments have been made in 26 years following the murder of Juan Leon Laureles, leaving his family desperately reaching for answers. Growing u…

www.bigcountryhomepage.com

''Growing up, Leon Laureles and Arlene Harbison were inseparable. Laureles was Harbison’s uncle, even though they were only two years apart.

They spent nearly everyday together growing up, playing in the same band in high school and becoming more like siblings every day.''

(Courtesy: Arlene Harbison) Leon Laureles
Harbison said when she had children, Laureles moved in and took the graveyard shift at Kroger, helping take care of the babies while she worked.

“He was my everything and now he’s gone,” Harbison said through tears. “It’s still just as hard for me as it was that day.”

“I’m very angry,” Harbison said. “I’m very frustrated because his case went cold almost immediately.”


Harbison said she believes her beloved family member was killed in an act of hatred, as she knew Leon Laureles as not openly gay man, just entering a more public relationship.''

“There’s been other people who have been very vocal how gay people were being treated at that time,” Harbison said. “He was not only gay, he was a Hispanic man in a very conservative small town. That was the reason he wasn’t openly gay, that would have been very bad.”