Killer sends harrowing message to victims' family after murdering mechanic over $500
A man jailed for four decades for his involvement in the murder of a car mechanic made a chilling remark to his victim's family after being sentenced.
Raudel Orozco found out his fate on Tuesday (19 May) after pleading guilty to felony murder, four years after the tragic death of father-of-two Luis Manuel Casillas.
The 25-year-old was charged alongside his brother Rolando Orozo, who is set to appear in court next week for a pre-trial conference.
Prosecutors said the brothers fatally shot Luis at his auto shop in Houston, Texas, on 23 December, 2022, after they refused to pay their $500 (£372) bill for repairing their truck.
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According to reports, the court heard how Orozco and has sibling arrived at the garage while accompanied by four other men to retrieve the vehicle, before a row broke out.
Luis, 29, is said to have eventually told the group to take the truck and leave the premises, but horrifically, they then began chasing him through adjacent businesses before later forcing him to his knees and shooting him dead.
"My brother started running," his sister Sandy Casillas told local news outlet ABC13 in 2022. "He ran through all the side businesses he could run through.
"They did catch up to him, and they shot him in the head. [Point] blank. They put him on his knees, and they shot him in the head."
The publication also previously reported that the killers had used a AK-47-style rifle to murder Luis, who pleaded with them to spare him in his final moments.
Eyewitnesses who took to the stand during Orozco's trial recalled how Luis had begged for his life while he was surrounded by the men, as per KHOU 11.
One bystander testified: "[Luis said]: "Man you ain't got to do this, I've got a wife and kids'. The defendant stated, 'I told you not to play with me', in explicit language. That's when I heard the gun go off."
Another shared a similar recollection of the horrific incident, saying: "Luis raised his hand and said 'Please don't shoot me, I have a wife and two kids, two little girls'. After that, the shot was fired."
Luis is survived by his wife and two daughters, aged 2 and 3.
His heartbroken sister Sandy previously said her brother had intended to use the $500 to buy a few more Christmas gifts for his little girls, adding: "Santa was coming with Daddy, but Santa showed up, but Daddy didn’t."
Orozco's legal team said he was remorseful and arguing that he was under the impression that his truck had been stolen, while claiming that the shooting was an accident.
He ultimately pleaded guilty to Luis' murder earlier this week and received a 40-year prison sentence.
As Orozco was being led away from the courtroom, he is alleged to have made a chilling remark to Luis family in Spanish, as he reportedly told them: "I'll be out someday."
Speaking in wake of the sentencing, Sandy said of her brother's killer: "I didn't see any remorse from him, it seemed that he didn't really care. And I'm glad the judge saw that."
As well as the Orozco brothers, a third man was also initially charged with murder in connection with the mechanic's death, however the case was later dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Olivia Burke