Brenda Salazar worked the land and looked to the skies for her future. But everything changed on a hot day in May, when a predator found her first.
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Chapter 1 | A dream is shattered and a nightmare begins
Chapter 2 | Amid loss and heartache, a desperate quest for justice
No nightmare could have been worse than the one Rosa Maria and Fermin Salazar were living that morning of May 28, 1997. Two days earlier, the body of their daughter Brenda had been found in her Fort Worth apartment, the strap used to strangle her still around her neck.
Chapter 3 | A chance encounter leads to a dangerous friendship
Police see nothing but hatred in the eyes of Andy Ortiz, but young Armida Garcia finds the good in everyone.
Chapter 4 | Opportunities missed and young lives forever damaged
Most entries in Andy Ortiz's criminal dossier concerned typical gang stuff. But several police reports detailed more sinister allegations, such as one in which the victim was a 13-year-old girl.
Chapter 5 | Teenager pays a terrible price for a dangerous friendship
The collect calls kept coming from the Tarrant County Jail, at least until Armida Garcia's father saw the charges on the telephone bill.
Chapter 6 | A new detective catches the case, vows to find the truth
Rookie homicide detective Joe Thornton takes on his toughest case: the rape and strangulation of 15-year-old Armida Garcia.
Chapter 7 | A case builds against Ortiz, but will it be strong enough?
Police follow clues to a familar face on the north side.
Chapter 8 | One phone call generates years of second-guessing
A detective's interview with suspect Andy Ortiz starts out promising but ends on a very troubling note.
Chapter 9 | An encounter in an alley leads to a wall of silence
An 11-year-old girl thinks she saw who murdered Armida Garcia, but two frightened mothers keep the witness a secret.
Chapter 10 | The legacy of the Garcia case: missteps, disputes and regret
Prosecutor Robert Foran tells Detective Joe Thornton that his case against Andy Ortiz in the murder of Armida Garcia is not strong enough to take to court. Some detectives bitterly disagree.
