30-year-old Juan Leon Laureles was well-loved and respected by his family and friends. So, when he was murdered execution style and his vehicle set afire, those who knew and loved him were shocked; Leon didn't live a high-risk lifestyle by any stretch of the imagination. Through the years, as his case has grown colder and colder, the Brown County Sheriff's Department's theory of a motive makes less and less sense. However, as a gay Hispanic man, Leon Laureles killed as the result of an act of hate - of bigotry - seems very plausible. For Arlene, Leon's niece who is only a couple years younger than him and was his best friend, the uncertainty and mystery surrounding what happened and why is excruciating. Much of Leon's remaining family, in fact, live with the pain every waking moment. The Brown County Sheriff's Department is no closer to solving Leon's murder than they were the day it happened, and, perhaps, it's because they refuse to see it as it is. Part 1 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 Texas State Historical Association, The Austin Chronicle, The Brownwood Bulletin, and the friends and family of Leon Laureles were used as sources for this episode.

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