Juan Leon Laureles was only 30 years old when he was shot execution style on the side of a small gravel road just east of Brownwood, Texas in May of 1996 – his 1988 Ford Thunderbird ablaze. Few theories have been floating around since that terrible, tragic day. The Brown County Sheriff’s department has theirs but won’t acknowledge that there might be a better one: a theory that actual makes sense and seems to better fit the known facts – that the slaying was an act of hate. But, of course, there are other plausible theories and some recent information that allows for even more speculation. Still though, with the climate of hate towards the gay and lesbian community, among other groups, in Brown County and the city of Brownwood, the possibility that Leon’s murder was a hate crime is extremely possible and plausible. Did the Sheriff’s Department investigation lag because Leon Laureles was gay? It certainly seems that way. Part 2 of 2.

If you have any information on the 1996 murder of Juan Leon Laureles, please contact the Brown County Sheriff’s Office at 325-646-5510.

Submit your DNA data from a consumer testing company to Othram’s database, dnasolves.com. It’s only used for law enforcement investigations: https://dnasolves.com/user/register

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The Dallas Morning News, The Brownwood Bulletin, and the friends and family of Leon Laureles were used as sources for this episode.

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