Thread: AL-WHNT Exclusive: Murder Suspect Confirmed As Illegal Imm

WHNT Exclusive: Murder Suspect Confirmed As Illegal Immigrant
Nick Banaszak Reporter
4:56 PM CDT, May 14, 2009

HUNTSVILLE, AL - Huntsville police say the man who allegedly killed two Huntsville teenagers in a traffic wreck is indeed an illegal immigrant.

Federal agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have placed a detention order on Felix Ortega. His status had been in question for weeks, with police confirming his illegal status to WHNT News 19 early Thursday.

Authorities say that Ortega got drunk, hopped into his truck and killed the two teenagers in a traffic wreck at Airport Road and Whitesburg Drive back on April 17th. 16 year-old Leigh Anna Jimmerson and 19 year-old Tad Mattle died in the wreck.

Also Thursday, a Huntsville police review board concluded that the officers involved in the pursuit of Ortega prior to the wreck was done in accordance with HPD policies and procedures. Officials say the officers have been cleared, with that part of the case now closed.


http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-ortega-il ... 0521.story

Another article concerning the murder of the 2 teenagers; the author has "hit" the nail on the head.

It matters because this never would have happened had our law enforcement apparatus properly done its job. Mr. Otega would not have been on Whitesburg Drive and probably wouldn’t have been present in Alabama at all, had he been properly prosecuted for his illegal status when he first began wracking up aliases, fake IDs, and legal problems. If our nation had properly secured its borders and ports years ago, Mr. Ortega would never have gotten his first DUI.

The problem with Mr. Ortega was two-fold, however. His lack of legal status makes his case at least partially the fault of our continued lackluster Federal efforts to stop illegal immigration. Just recently, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano upbraided Sheriff Joe Arpaio for his rigorous interpretation of laws about crossing the US border without inspection.

theminorityrepor

A Tragedy That Needs To Be Politicized
By Knight_of_the_Mind - Posted on April 21st, 2009
Tagged: Op-Ed
Sometimes, despite the best of our intentions, the worst truly happens. Unacceptable and inexcusable evil strikes the innocent down dead. It does so for no reason, and it does so for nobody’s benefit. Evil, simply just is.
Other times, the worst of consequences should and could have been prevented. Huntsville, Alabama teenagers Leigh Anna Jimmerson and Tad Mattle appear to have been stricken down by just such an act of unconscionable non-random malice. They were rear-ended by a drunken driver Friday night and killed. The drunken driver was obviously in our country illegally.

I’ll repeat in a voice of outrage that this entire sordid event could have easily been prevented. The killer, Felix Dominguez Ortega, has a laundry list of priors that should have precluded him from legally riding a tricycle.

The man charged in the fatal wreck involving two young Huntsvillians has outstanding warrants for driving under the influence, police said.

Felix Dominguez Ortega, 25, has also been arrested under the name Adan Herrera with a birth date of Aug. 8, 1985. Police said Ortega also used the name Reynaldo Martinez and Juan Sanchez.

Ortega has also been charged with possession of a forged instrument, driving without a license and a seat belt violation, according to police. Ortega is in the metro jail with his bond on the murder charges set at $2 million.

Sgt. Mark Roberts said police are unsure whether Ortega is an illegal immigrant.

Perhaps the saddest aspect of all of this is that the accident occurred soon after a police cruiser has spotted Ortega driving erratically. The cruiser was attempting to close distance between himself and Ortega to read Ortega’s license plate and ID the vehicle.

The officer was "trying to catch up" to the truck to read the license plate number and was not immediately behind the truck, police Sgt. Mark Roberts said Saturday afternoon.

Roberts said Saturday that police received a call at 8:53 p.m. about a drunk driver in a white pickup truck that had left an apartment complex parking lot on Squaw Valley Drive after hitting a parked vehicle.

Fled when saw lights

Roberts said that about three minutes later the patrol officer spotted the pickup truck traveling east on Johnson Road, and the truck driver fled when he saw the patrol car's lights.

So a man with no legal address of record, four separate aliases, a set of fake IDs and a long list of priors for flying blind has just killed two young people. If this man isn’t illegally in the United States, I’ll pay $50 to anyone who presents proof of his legal status. Show me a properly filled out I9 on the man, and I’ll personally apologize for ever stating that he was an illegal alien before the Huntsville Police publically confirm this obvious fact.

So why does this matter anyway? Former Alabama University and Oakland Raiders QB Ken Stabler isn’t illegal and his drunken driving arrest was the Huntsville scandal de jour a few months back.

It matters because this never would have happened had our law enforcement apparatus properly done its job. Mr. Otega would not have been on Whitesburg Drive and probably wouldn’t have been present in Alabama at all, had he been properly prosecuted for his illegal status when he first began wracking up aliases, fake IDs, and legal problems. If our nation had properly secured its borders and ports years ago, Mr. Ortega would never have gotten his first DUI.

Also obviously true, whether it’s Mr. Touchdown, or whether it’s Cheech Moran, the laws against driving drunk should be mercilessly enforced. That truth should also be addressed. Alabama has the wherewithal to handle that one internally. The failure of state authorities to do so should get people fired and unelected from government positions state wide.

The problem with Mr. Ortega was two-fold, however. His lack of legal status makes his case at least partially the fault of our continued lackluster Federal efforts to stop illegal immigration. Just recently, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano upbraided Sheriff Joe Arpaio for his rigorous interpretation of laws about crossing the US border without inspection.

Well, you know, Sheriff Joe, he is being very political in that statement, because he knows that there aren’t enough law enforcement officers, courtrooms or jail cells in the world to do what he is saying.

What we have to do is target the real evil-doers in this business, the employers who consistently hire illegal labor, the human traffickers who are exploiting human misery.

And yes, when we find illegal workers, yes, appropriate action, some of which is criminal, most of that is civil, because crossing the border is not a crime per se. It is civil. But anyway, going after those as well.

In my opinion, Sheriff Joe should get more political. Poor political decisions, rendered by elected leaders, have allowed the Felix Dominguez Ortegas of the world to ruin lives in the United States. The tragedy that occurred Friday night, on Whitesburg Drive, in Huntsville, Alabama was partially manufactured by politicians.

I’m not making this tragedy political by pointing out the obviousness of Ortega being an illegal alien. It’s a series of bad political decisions involving the non-enforcement of both immigration and drunken driving laws that killed two innocent teenagers. This tragedy was already political. I’m just one mad citizen with a blog who egregiously states the obvious.

ShareThisKnight_of_the_Mind's blog • login or register to post comments

A story of two more dead young teenage girls:

This story was posted on Human Events in April, 2009. Mr. Tranchant, the father of one of the girls, testified before the House Judiciary Committee. This man who had his heart ripped from his body by the death of his daughter two years prior to this article didn’t even receive the courtesy of a slight bleep on the screen from any of the medias. And as always…any politician having the courage to remark did so quietly.

Our own house of Representatives compiled figures that 13 are killed daily by drunk illegal alien drivers. If you total that number just since 9/11… Those killed by mostly drunken, illegal aliens totals an astonishing 36,413 dead. I still wonder…why no shame coming from the non-representing representatives and where is the outrage from the victims families?

http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53103



Illegal Immigration Caused Tragedy In My Family
by Ray Tranchant
04/02/2009

Two years ago this week, my 16-year old daughter, Tessa, and her best friend, Ali, were killed as they were sitting at an intersection waiting for a red light to change. They both had their seatbelts on and were doing nothing wrong.

They were wonderful girls with bright futures.

But their lives ended suddenly and unnecessarily when a drunken illegal immigrant hit them at more than 70 miles an hour. Alfredo Ramos, whose blood alcohol level was almost three times the legal limit, didn’t see the girls’ car or the red light and couldn’t because of his intoxication. The crash killed Tessa and Ali instantly. Alfredo Ramos walked away unhurt.


At first, my focus was on mourning my daughter and her friend. Our community, friends and family stood with us, honoring their memories.

But anger and a feeling of betrayal took over when I discovered at the trial that Alfredo Ramos could have been -- should have been -- deported long before he ran that light. In fact, this accident wasn’t the first time that Alfredo Ramos walked away from a drunken incident. It wasn’t even the second time.

Alfredo Ramos had been arrested twice before -- for driving under the influence (DUI) and public intoxication. He had a fake driver's license from Florida and could not speak English.

But because of Sanctuary policies in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, Virginia, nobody -- not the judge in a prior DUI case or the police who arrested him in the prior incidents -- questioned him about his immigration status. Instead of being deported to his home country, he stayed on the streets of Virginia Beach to drink, drive, and take two innocent lives in a way that displayed a wonton disrespect for the laws of our land.

He seemed invisible to the system. I’m not sure if your American kids or relatives would have had the same opportunity to fail. They probably would have been incarcerated, legitimate license suspended, insurance payments would go through the roof, and they would have had to pay large attorney’s fees. Ramos pays nothing, has no driver’s training, no insurance, no lawyer, no license, and now the American People have to spend approximately $30,000/ year for 40 years ($1,200,000) to rehabilitate, then deport him. The taxpayers have to pay for it!

The deaths garnered local and national media attention: The Virginia Pilot, The Washington Post, The American Chronicle, MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, and many others wrote and talked about Tessa and Ali. Their stories shed light on the tragic consequences of lax immigration policies.

Gladly, some important things have changed in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake in the last two years. Virginia Beach now requires that police check the immigration status of all arrested. Virginia Beach and Chesapeake passed measures requiring that companies doing business with the cities pledge not to hire illegal immigrants. Last July, a statewide law took effect which requires local jails to contact federal authorities to check the immigration status of all foreign-born inmates, irrespective of whether they are in the country legally. And, local police officers are working more closely with federal authorities than ever before.

But a threat remains.

Despite recommendations from the state’s Attorney General and the Virginia State Crime Commission, Virginia’s Governor has yet to ask federal authorities for a 287 (g) agreement; and ICE may not have the resources to support such a request. The 287(g) program would allow the state to enter into an agreement with the federal government so that state law enforcement officers can assist in the investigation, apprehension and detention of illegal immigrants. Opponents of 287(g) cite a supposed “chilling effectâ€

2 murder trials in new year
Monday, December 28, 2009
By Brian Lawson
Times Staff Writer brian.lawson@htimes.com

Feelings run high in cop slaying, teens' traffic death cases

Two emotionally charged murder cases are scheduled for trial in January, with Madison County District Attorney Rob Broussard leading both prosecutions.

Felix Ortega, 26, who is charged with two counts of reckless murder in an April car crash that killed two Huntsville teens, is set to go on trial Jan. 11.
Advertisement

Kenneth Shipp, 55, charged with capital murder for the December 2007 shooting death of Huntsville Police Department officer William Eric Freeman, is scheduled to go on trial Jan. 25.

Attorneys in both cases have been instructed by the court not to discuss details of their cases publicly.

Shipp's attorneys Robert Tuten and Jake Watson have asked Judge Bruce Williams to move the trial out of Madison County, arguing that their client - who faces a possible death sentence if convicted - cannot get a fair jury pool here because of substantial publicity about the case.

Earlier this month, Williams deferred a decision about the change of venue, opting instead to begin jury pool questioning on Jan. 25 and then evaluate whether an unbiased jury can be seated.

Broussard, who is prosecuting the case with Assistant District Attorney Bill Starnes, has opposed that request, arguing that other well-publicized cases have been fairly tried in Madison County.

Ortega, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, faces two murder counts for the April 17 deaths of Grissom High School sophomore Leigh Anna Jimmerson, 16, and her boyfriend, Tad Mattle, 19, a 2008 Grissom graduate.

Prosecutors say Ortega, who entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico, had a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit at the time of the crash.

Ortega is being represented by attorneys Patrick Hill and Ronald Smith.

Assistant District Attorney Jason Scully-Clemmons is assisting Broussard in that prosecution.

www.al.com

Ortega's trial for killing two Huntsville teens won't happen until later this year
By Brian Lawson
January 06, 2010, 4:23PM

HUNTSVILLE, AL. -- The trial of Felix Ortega, who is charged with two counts of murder for an April 2009 car crash that killed two Huntsville teens, will not begin next week and has been continued until later this year.

Ortega, 26, was scheduled to go on trial Jan. 11 before Circuit Judge Loyd Little, but Little is scheduled to retire Jan. 15.

No new trial date has been set, but court sources suggested it would likely take place in the late spring or early summer.

Attorneys in the case have been directed not to discuss it with the press.

Ortega, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, faces two murder counts for the April 17 deaths of Grissom High School sophomore Leigh Anna Jimmerson, 16, and her boyfriend, Tad Mattle, 19, a 2008 Grissom graduate.

Prosecutors say Ortega, who entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico, had a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit at the time of the crash.

http://blog.al.com

Could it be they want to avoid any headlines about this while they try to paint IAs as simply seeking a better life and CIR is being pushed in Congress!?

ahh Ray Tranchant. this is the same person who was laughed at when he was in front of a house committee that the racist luis gutierrez was on and if i remember right, it was even him that was asking Tranchant some questions at the time this happened.


Tessa and Ali were the subject of the infamous shouting match between Geraldo Rivera and Bill OReilly a few weeks after the deaths took place