Investigation Murder of Joey Fischer

1 investigation

1.1 initial evidence
1.2 suspects , leads identified
1.3 hours before , after murder

investigation
initial evidence

initially police believed murder drive-by shooting, investigators discovered tennis shoe print near outdoor air conditioning unit, , yellow business card next fischer s body. though business card stained blood corinne s hands after tried stop bleeding, investigators able decipher wording on card. collin county bail office in mckinney, texas. phone number printed on card , had handwritten area code, 214, dallas area. alex perez, former sheriff of cameron county, appointed lead investigation, called bail office , asked them fax copies of bond applications made rio grande valley residents. police theorized assailant had dropped card after fischer tried defend himself. bail office faxed police several applications, , included 1 rudy cuellar, dallas resident visited mexico.

that morning, police interrogated fischer s girlfriend marianela @ sheriff s office. asked if had ever had cross words cristina. said had never talked her, though confused why asked ex-girlfriend. cisneros interrogated, police found nothing unusual behavior, nervous, , had left car keys inside vehicle. later day, cristina went buddy s house , offered condolences. police did not treat cisneros connection fischer differently rest of leads. knew of cisneros s calls, did not think suspicious enough rule murder crime of passion. stepfather thought murder tied legal dispute on contract worth thousands of dollars had chinese shrimp firm based in arroyo city, texas, north of brownsville had terminated. police began investigate lead, , told fischer s family in danger. 2 weeks, left house, , parents considered sending kathy , eric san antonio, texas, grandparents lived.

given high-profile of case, police received several tips citizens. police theorized fischer killed drug gang had mistaken him else. questioned man alleged intended victim, rumors turned out false. investigated abandoned vehicle near u.s.-mexico border suspected used in shooting. car reported stolen in south padre island, detectives determined not vehicle murderers used. police continued pursue lead bail office in mckinney. called office , asked recent bail applications south texas locations. office gave them cuellar s full name, dallas address, , faxed copy of application. investigators noticed man s handwriting, how 4 written, matched handwriting on yellow business card found @ murder scene.

brownsville officers headed mckinney warrant revoking cuellar s bond. showed later @ bail office, unsure why application cancelled. after police questioned him, said had given yellow business card man @ la quinta motel in brownsville, , told him call number if ever arrested. investigators knew motel in downtown brownsville meeting place low-level criminals. sheriff s office began investigating people had stayed @ motel in previous months. cuellar put police in contact ramiro moya, san antonio resident, frequented brownsville, , claimed know details on murder. moya led police half-brother daniel el güero orlando garza, san antonio painter frequented brownsville , mexico.

suspects , leads identified

police interrogated garza @ san antonio motel claimed have landscaping business in mexico, though police suspected drug dealer. after further questioning, garza admitted on march 31, 1993, had made arrangements have fischer killed. told police confessed because troubled had done. not arrested because investigators needed more information him continue case. told investigators started when visited local fortune teller after separated wife in 1992. fortune teller, maría mercedes martínez de sánchez, consulted garza several sessions in attempt repair relationship had wife. garza s son born muscular dystrophy , wife depressed, point wanted kill herself , son. investigators said garza believed wife s relatives had cast spell on marriage , needed martínez s help. discovered martínez promised garza if agreed kill fischer. garza confirmed police martínez working client (cisneros) wanted fischer, along got in way, dead. cisneros visited @ least 3 times consult after break-up. during first meeting, cisneros wanted know if fischer felt daughter. martínez read through cards , told no longer in love cristina. cisneros paid us$5 card reading , left shop upset martínez s answer.

during second meeting, cisneros asked martínez cast spell on fischer. martínez said unable that, , cisneros grew angry , left store. few days later, cisneros called martínez , asked pray fischer cristina. cisneros returned third visit martínez s shop in october 1992, , asked if knew willing beat fischer. winter, changed request , asked have fischer killed, offering us$3,000 person it. according martínez, cisneros told fischer had raped cristina , telling classmates @ st. joe had sex her. however, cristina said never had sex him. although garza assured martínez find carry out job, kept calling , visiting discuss marriage problems. under pressure cisneros, martínez interrupt sessions garza remind him of plan. garza lied martínez on several occasions telling had lined kill fischer. cisneros contacted martínez in november ask why job had not been done. martínez responded did not know when murder carried out. garza divorced wife on january 4, 1993, , kept calling martínez tell personal problems had not been fixed. on january 9, traveled brownsville san antonio talk divorce, , martínez reminded him client of hers wanted fischer dead. told him again if facilitated fischer s murder, garza s personal problems solved.

martínez contacted garza, knew 2 hitmen matamoros carry out job. cisneros gave martínez photo of fischer, passed on garza. garza contacted israel olivarez cepeda , heriberto eddie puentes pizaña carry out murder. garza had met them in brownsville @ olivarez uncle s house. during last week of january, garza met them again @ restaurant in grand prairie, texas while working cuellar , moya. garza told olivarez there woman in brownsville willing pay kill fischer. olivarez said interested in job , stayed in contact garza. olivarez , puentes pizaña part of cross-border drug trafficking , car theft ring stretched mexico chicago. organization headed cuellar, same man bond application investigated brownsville police after business card discovered @ fischer s house. garza met 2 again in dallas on february 14 describe murder plans. given fischer s photo, map address, , promised had been told on next trip brownsville. on march 2, night before murder, garza traveling san fernando, tamaulipas, mexico, san antonio , bumped 2 @ motel in brownsville. olivarez asserted ready carry out plan.

hours before , after murder

according u.s. border surveillance, white mercury grand marquis mexican license plates 821-the7 crossed @ brownsville border entry @ 6:39 p.m. ct on march 2. car had crossed brownsville matamoros eighteen times between august 1992 , march 1993. when police went motel check register, discovered @ 8:26 p.m. ct evening, puentes pizaña , ramón palomares, hitman of cuellar organization, checked in receptionist. registered car in notebook white grand marquis, unclear if wrote 821-wex or 821-the7 license plate number. other evidence showed several calls made puentes pizaña s , garza s rooms identical dallas number on day of murder. police never able connect number investigation, or identify dallas contact. other evidence showed garza, along cuellar , moya, visited gun shop in dallas purchase .38 super pistol. after fischer killed, garza said gun stolen house in san antonio after broke it. weapon never recovered.

between 7:00 a.m. , 8:00 a.m. ct on march 3, morning fischer killed, olivarez confirmed garza @ motel murder successful. went martínez shop tell teenager dead. told garza not give him money unless there solid proof fischer dead. garza talked olivarez , puentes pizaña @ motel room. few hours after murder, martínez phoned cisneros , told job had been carried out. cisneros arrived @ store minutes later , left sealed envelope money. cisneros went st. joe , picked daughter school. later evening, garza , puentes pizaña met martínez , picked envelope. headed motel , garza handed on envelope olivarez. garza claims hitmen received $3,500, though stated never counted money. martínez said did , $3,000. investigators believe have been as $5,000. garza picked nephew matamoros , taken harlingen airport, flew san antonio. on way airport, passed through rancho viejo , recalled seeing police cars , house cordoned off yellow tape.

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