The Murder of Leon Laureles in Brown County, Texas Part 2

Gone Cold - Texas True Crime

Vincent Strange

True Crime, Society & Culture, News

4.6 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2021

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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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Transcript

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0:00.0	The Gone Cole podcast may contain violent or graphic subject matter, listener discretion
0:05.4	is advised.
0:08.1	This is part two of two of the murder of Leon Lurales in Brown County, Texas.
0:14.0	If you haven't listened to part one, it would be a good idea to do that before going any
0:19.1	further into this episode.
0:22.1	Here's a brief rundown of what we've already covered.
0:26.9	One Leon Lurales, who went by his middle name, was described to us as a gentle giant.
0:34.0	He was tall and stout, but his physicality was dwarfed by his kindness and compassion.
0:41.4	That's what made his violent death unfathomable.
0:45.5	At around 12.30 a.m. on Friday, May 10, 1996, shortly after Leon was due to work a shift
0:53.2	at the Kroger grocery store in Brownwood, Texas, his 1988 Black Ford Thunderbird was found
1:00.0	burning on a narrow road next to an outdoor shooting range off Farm to Market Road 21-26,
1:08.0	just a little east of Brownwood in a rural area.
1:11.9	The body of 30-year-old Leon Lurales was found near the blaze.
1:17.4	He'd been shot in the back of his head while kneeling, described as execution-style
1:22.8	by authorities.
1:25.8	Leon's car was seen by a witness parked in the Kroger parking lot sometime after 11.30
1:31.8	p.m., presumably shortly after arriving to work his shift.
1:36.9	Another vehicle was seen next to his, and both drove off.
1:41.7	This was highly out of character for Leon, who had never even been late for a shift,
1:47.2	let alone skipped out on one without telling any of his co-workers.
1:52.0	He was most likely forced somehow, abducted.
	...

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