Stealing night vision goggles motive for killing border agent

By Greg Moran
4:20 p.m., July 25, 2011

SAN DIEGO — A plot to rob a U.S. Border Patrol agent of his night vision goggles was the motivation behind the ambush killing of the agent two years ago, one of the men involved in the killing admitted in federal court Monday.

Emilio Samyn Gonzales Arezenas pleaded guilty to the murder of a federal officer during the course of a robbery and now faces a mandatory life prison sentence. He is the second person to admit guilt in the July 23, 2009, killing of 30-year-old Robert Rosas Jr., who was shot to death while on patrol near Campo.

A juvenile pleaded guilty a few months after the murder and is serving a 40-year sentence.

Jose Luis Ramirez Dorantes was arrested in Mexico last October and extradited to the United States, where he has pleaded not guilty. Another man, Marcos Rodriguez Perez, was arrested in April in Mexico and is expected to be extradited. A fifth man suspected in the fatal assault, Jose Juan Chacon Morales, remains at large in Mexico, authorities said.

New details about the attack on Rosas were revealed as part of Gonzales’ plea deal. Previously, authorities have said only that Rosas was targeted as part of a plan to rob a Border Patrol agent.

In court Monday, Gonzales admitted that the plan was more specific. The plea agreement says that in July 2009 Rodriguez lost a pair of night vision goggles that he and the others used to smuggle illegal immigrants and drugs into the United States.

Authorities said Chacon and Rodriguez hatched a plan to detain and rob an agent of his goggles. On the night of July 23, Rodriguez and the juvenile, Christian Daniel Castro Alvarez, crossed into the United States. In a detail not previously released, prosecutors said both were armed.

They deliberately left footprints in the dirt to lure an agent into an ambush. Rosas saw the footprints and followed them into the brush.

Rodriguez and Castro were waiting for him there and held Rosas at gunpoint. But then Rosas and Castro struggled over the youth’s firearm, according to the plea agreement. A shot went off during the struggle.

Gonzalez then fired two shots, hitting Rosas in the body, authorities said. Rodriguez then fired multiple rounds at Rosas, a married father of two children.

After the shooting, the group stole Rosas’ night vision device, as well as his bag, firearm, handcuffs and other items, according to the plea agreement.

Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge James Loren on Oct. 17.

Robert Rosas Jr.
greg.moran@uniontrib.com • (619) 293-1236 • Twitter @gregmoran

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011 ... r-killing/