To Catch a Killer
Transcript of a chat with the writer and editor on the Star-Telegram's investigation of serial killer Andy Ortiz.
Most Recently Answered Questions
Questions 51 - 100 of 102 (Page 2 of 3)Submitted by Arianna from fort worth, TX
Q: Tim~ Do you know if Andy has access to view the documentry? If so have you heard of any reaction he has had to the novel? Has he tried to contact you?
Answered 03/11/08 12:41:51 by Tim Madigan
A: Hi Arianna. I don't think Andy has access to the doc in prison, but I know that he will eventually get ahold of the series, and he won't like it. His parents definitely don't.Submitted by Rosie from Fort worth
Q: I just wanted to say that I talked and was involved with him a couple of times about a month each time in 1994 and both times he was the sweetest guy.I keep thinking that you have the wrong man, I was in love with this guy.Now I see he wasnt right in the head. I cant believe what I have been reading and was wondering if there was a reason why he picked these types of women to murder?I read that they rejected him.maybe he became infatuated or something.it was really great the way the editors put the story together. I hope you win some sort of prize. for your efforts.good job
Answered 03/11/08 12:41:21 by Judy Wiley
A: Thank you. I am so glad you remained safe.Submitted by dee from mission,texas
Q: did they ever find the other girls in the pictures he had to see if he did anything to them.
Answered 03/11/08 12:40:25 by Judy Wiley
A: As best as I can remember, they were never able to locate any of the girls in the photographs, though, as the series said, they did talk to many girls whose names and telephone numbers were found in his bedroom.Submitted by Arianna from
Q: To answer Maria from Tx. regarding her Chubby bald guy question. It was a dark night and Andy's hair was cut very short almost had no hair so infact "bald is just a description used" Not litteraly bold as in bolding.
Answered 03/11/08 12:39:59 by Tim Madigan
A: Thanks Arianna.Submitted by adrianna from saginaw texas
Q: first i would like to thank you for a job well done.i think i speak for many who read this novel. this story really hit close to home for myself and many of my friends who went to middle school with armida garcia. i really want to thank detective curt brannan for not giving up and finally putting andy in prison. its good to know that he is on our side. please if you could thank him for a job well done.
Answered 03/11/08 12:39:33 by Tim Madigan
A: Curt will probably be reading this chat and will greatly appreciate your kind words.Submitted by Sally from fort worth tx
Q: Why was the mother never held held as an accomplice if the pics were found in her house? And what was the killers childhood like?
Answered 03/11/08 12:38:53 by Tim Madigan
A: As Curt Brannan told me today, it would have been very difficult to prove exactly what the mother knew. And Brannan said that the investigative focus needed to be on Ortiz himself, not on his mother. As far as his childhood, for the most part we can only speculate.Submitted by Arianna from
Q: To answer Maria from Tx. regarding her Chubby bald guy question. It was a dark night and Andy's hair was cut very short almost had no hair so infact "bald is just a description used" Not litteraly bold as in bolding.
Answered 03/11/08 12:38:08 by Judy Wiley
A: Thanks, Arianna.Submitted by C Andrews from Fort Worth, TX
Q: Really enjoyed the daily series. I have no questions, but I did want to say thanks for the informative history of this terrible tragedy in our midst. (And I'm glad Andy is finally forever off the streets and out of reach from our young women!!!)
Answered 03/11/08 12:37:42 by Judy Wiley
A: Thank you.Submitted by Lito from Fort Worth, TX
Q: Ortiz mentioned that he might someday "come out" of prison. Is there any validity to that? Are there appeals he can still go through?
Answered 03/11/08 12:36:35 by Judy Wiley
A: No. Ortiz will not get out of prison.Submitted by lynn S from arlington
Q: while I enjoyed reading your article, why is it that you interviewed, or attempted to interview, with almost everybody involved in the case except the people that work in the Crime Lab. While the people who worked the case no longer work there, Im sure that there are people who could have better explained why evidence could not have been processed at the time, much better than the detectives could have. The scientists who work in the Lab, would most likely have no problem better explaining the processes of evidence screening and fingerprinting on such a high profile case.
Answered 03/11/08 12:35:55 by Judy Wiley
A: Good question. As we said, Loyd Cortney, the fingerprint expert, is deceased. And you're right, most of the folks who worked in the crime lab at the time no longer do. One guy who did work there, William Watson, did review the files for us, and tried to offer an explanation. For that we are grateful to Watson, who has gone on to become one of the most respected scientists in his field. But even he could only speculate as to what happened.Submitted by Joe C. from Keller Tx
Q: Do you think there was anyone person that should be held responcible for the second 2 murders or do you think it was just the system in general that failed? Also I loved the story but I was disappointed in the TV program. I felt they should have given it a full hour and gone more in depth. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!! IT was AWESOME!!!
Answered 03/11/08 12:34:59 by Judy Wiley
A: Thank you. I think the system failed on several levels, but no blame can be assigned to a single person.Submitted by PATI HENNARD from VA BEACH,VA.
Q: Did you feel, after all your research, that there was any chance at all that Ortiz could be innocent?
Answered 03/11/08 12:34:56 by Tim Madigan
A: Short answer. No. Thanks for writing from Virginia.Submitted by Maria from Fort worth
Q: On the show or documentary that aired yesterday, March 9, 2008... Armeda's best friend was saying that a "bald chubby" guy was seen with her earlier the day Armeda was killed. I kept thinking about this statement and to my recollection-Andy wasnt bald. Chubby-yes, bald-no. I remeber going to one of the hearings for this case, and even the judge said "you better get your stories straight if not this man will walk" I never forgot that. All the witnesses that were taken in that day (court) all had different stories of what or who they saw leaving the house/alley/street... It was hard watching that. Why was the story only 30min long? There was sooo much more that couldve been shown. What did Andy mean when he said "Man, come in man, come on in, i'll..." what did he say after that? You only showed a few clips of your initial interview... are you going to air the rest of it? It was hard watching this but I had so many questions right after it finished airing. Are you planning on releasing anything with more detail?
Answered 03/11/08 12:34:08 by Tim Madigan
A: Again, on the documentary: We felt like we already had so much detail in print... we wanted to provide something fast-moving and hard-hitting for the film.Submitted by Arnold from Fort Worth, TX
Q: I was very impressed with this story as I read it in the paper over the past month. I would like to see/hear more of the interview with Ortiz though. It amazed me that he's so, how do you put it, he just doesn't believe that he's guilty, I guess. How did you feel when you interviewed him?
Answered 03/11/08 12:33:02 by Tim Madigan
A: Frankly, I was a little disappointed. After having researched his crimes for so long, I expected a more imposing, ominous figure. To me he seemed small.Submitted by aracelycmartinez from fort worth tx
Q: Confusion: Was Amirda rapped? On the tv program last night it stated that no semen was found on her? So does that mean that He didn't rap her? He just killed her.
Answered 03/11/08 12:31:18 by Tim Madigan
A: Armida was raped. Detectives suspect that he either wore a condom, or some sort of instrument. Not pretty to think about, either way.Submitted by john gomez from Burke, Va
Q: I found your story gripping and so very valuable to parents and children. Do you think you penetrated this audience? I'm especially concerned about all teens? Will you go nationwide with this story?
Answered 03/11/08 12:30:32 by Tim Madigan
A: Thanks John. The fact that you're writing from Virginia is encouraging. I know that the story found a large audience here locally. You never know, in this age of the internet, how many other people might find it across the nation. Spread the word!Submitted by Patricia Flores from Fort Worth
Q: Can a copy of the documentary that was shown on Sunday be purchsed?I have 4 daughters and want to watch it with them. We unfortnately had to be out of town on Sunday and missed it. And I want to Thank you, people should be aware and take note that you never know who lives in your neighbor hood and that parents should try (I say try because it's almost impossible all the time)to know who your children are talking too hanging around with and stay one step ahead. I believe your story can provide parents and young women with helpfull information (especially hispanic women, who are brought up to keep quite, that such things as rape are embarrasing to the family, that getting the police involved might get someone deported, or thrown in jail)I thank you again.
Answered 03/11/08 12:28:56 by Tim Madigan
A: I've talked about David earlier in this chat. But again, your words about providing your women with information that might help keep them safe has made this so gratifying for us.Submitted by Veronica from Fort Worth, TX
Q: This is really not a question, but a comment. This is the first time I have ever really looked forward to reading the Star-Telegram each morning. The days it was not in the paper, I was disappointed. I think it would be a wonderful idea to continue series like this about Fort Worth crimes. It was very informative and I learned a lot about how the police department acutally works.
Answered 03/11/08 12:27:52 by Tim Madigan
A: Hi Veronica. Thanks so much. I'd say there's a good chance we will do this again. It was pretty cool to give our readers greater insight into the people who do these important jobs.Submitted by SALLY from tX
Q: If this happened so many years ago why has it been resurfaced? Wouldn't you think it would hurt the family? Why wasn't Andy's mother charged?
Answered 03/11/08 12:26:39 by Judy Wiley
A: First: my heart goes out to those families and to all of Ortiz' victims. I spoke to both the Salazar and Garcia families, either on the telephone or via e-mail as publication began, and I know this was difficult for them.The decision to go with this case was made after a long search for the right one, and after much discussion. No new, ongoing case would have allowed us the kind of access to records and information we needed to provide such a comprehehsive picture of both the police investigation and the kind of brutality Ortiz inflicted on young women.Submitted by tara escalante from fort worth, tx
Q: why wasnt more details given as to why he did this? my brothers new him and his little brother Elton..we were wondering why the families werent speaking also
Answered 03/11/08 12:25:06 by Tim Madigan
A: I would love to know more about why he did what he did, but unfortunately, Andy will not share those things with us. It's understandable under the circumstances that the families don't want to talk about this.Submitted by Dennis Russ from Euless, Tx
Q: First of all, fantastic story. I was just curious to know why the documentary was only 22 minutes long. As long as the story was it just seemed to me that this could have been an hour long. Any reason behind this?
Answered 03/11/08 12:24:40 by Judy Wiley
A: After all the exposure the case received in the newspaper and on the Web site, we felt the documentary should be short and fast-moving, hitting the high points.Submitted by Doc from Arlington
Q: No Question: Hi- My hat is off to the fine detective work that caught this serial killer. My question is: Was there any DNA evidence under Krystal's fingernails, in mouth or on hair that would link Ortiz to this crime? I assume due to the nature of the body,this was not possible to extract? My sincere condolences to the families of these young women and the many others victimized by this evil. God bless you each,both law enforcement/TCDA office and the families.Excellant work by all involved.
Answered 03/11/08 12:24:03 by Tim Madigan
A: Hi Doc. You're right, because of the condition of the body, no physical evidence could be found in Krystal's case. I'm sure the police and prosecutors appreciate your kind words.Submitted by laura from
Q: What was Ortiz' excuse or reasoning for having all the information, photos, etc. of the girls? What does his mother think about his convicttion?
Answered 03/11/08 12:22:45 by Tim Madigan
A: His reasoning: he considered himself a real ladies man. As far as his mother, one cannot know what she really thinks, but so far as what she says publicly, she believes that he's innocent.Submitted by Lindsay from Euless
Q: What has Ortiz's mother said since the trial? Is she still his #1 fan, even after his convictions?
Answered 03/11/08 12:21:37 by Tim Madigan
A: Hi Lindsay. To answer your question: Very little. And so far as we know, she remains wholly supportive of him and continues to proclaim his innocence.Submitted by Jim Kirchhoff from Fort Worth, Tx
Q: We missed the Sunday night documantary on channel 21 of "To Catch A Killer". We very much wanted to see this having followed the story daily in the S.T. Is there any posibilty that it will be shown again on TV or is there a video or dvd version? I am unable to download the website version. I am using Windows 98 and dial up. Thank you.
Answered 03/11/08 12:20:48 by Tim Madigan
A: Hi Jim. No plans to rebroadcast. The DVD can be purchased through the Star-Telegram for $25. Call 817-390-7743. Hope that helps.Submitted by Rita from Fort Worth, TX
Q: Do you feel the ball was dropped in all of these investigations, because of the girls' backgrounds?
Answered 03/11/08 12:19:39 by Judy Wiley
A: No, that is not my sense. The blame can't be placed on any any one overarching part of the case.Submitted by Jim Vance from Decatur Texas
Q: Great job, hopefully more like this to come. 2 questions; 1) What was the demeanor of the Ortiz family during the trial and sentencing? 2) Will the documentary re-air anytime soon?
Answered 03/11/08 12:19:35 by Tim Madigan
A: Hi Jim. So far as I know, the demeanor of Andy's family was calm and supportive. They continue to proclaim his innocence. No plans to re-air the documentary, but it can be seen on our website. Thanks for writing.Submitted by graciela mendezracie from hurst,texas
Q: Why were we lead to believe that Andy Ortiz was gong to be interviewed live from prison, maybe 8o percent of us thought that was what we were going to see, Also I would like to know why he was not tried for the murder of Minjarez. Again was there not enough evidence like they say was the same reason that he was not put behind bars when he killed the first 2. One thing I did not undersatnd was on the documentary you said that from her death (Krysta) was the reason he was finally caught, how was that. Thanks
Answered 03/11/08 12:18:22 by Tim Madigan
A: You might have misunderstood. Obviously, a live interview with Ortiz from prison just isn't possible. As the series points out, he was not tried for Krystal's murder because prosecutors believed there was no sufficient evidence against him for a capital case, and there was no use in getting a third life sentence against him. One evidentiary problem was the condition of Krystal's body when it was found. Decomposition destroyed whatever physical evidence there might have been. Yet it was Krystal's case which led detectives back to Ortiz, and caused them to look at him anew in the cases of Armida Garcia and Brenda Salazar. It is somewhat ironic that in the case that gave them their Ortiz was never prosecuted.Submitted by steve from fort worth
Q: Great job...really enjoyed "To Catch a Killer" Have you thought of doing a story on the serial killer of the mid 1980's of Fort Worth? Last I heard is that they connected the killings to a guy through DNA that is currently in prison in another state. I believe there was about 7 or 8 female victims. One of the victims was from my school, Sarah Kaska.
Answered 03/11/08 12:16:17 by Judy Wiley
A: Thanks for the idea.Submitted by Aurora Jacinto from Grand Prairie
Q: Iam amazed and shocked at how our legal system fails us, particularly in this day and time. I fully agree that if our legal system had placed this killer in prison from the get go, there may not have been other young women killed. I sat through the report and wondered what will it take to bring justice and protection to innocent women and children in this country. Our family has been disappointed in a child abuse case in which the law protects the sexual perpetrator and fails to protect our little great-granddaughter. After three outcries of sexual abuse by her father and medical statements, he is still getting away with his inappropriate behavior and the law has restored his visitation rights, again, due to lack of evidence. I fear that one day, she too could become a statistic. There is not enough room for me to provide all the details in our personal situation, but I can say that the perpetrator, like Mr. Ortiz, has a long criminal history and a pattern of sexual and bodily assualt and he continues to get away with his crimes. I would like to know what we can do to change our system and protect our children. Can someone out there help?? I will not be able to join the noon session as I will be working, however, I hope to get a response. Thank you.
Answered 03/11/08 12:15:06 by Tim Madigan
A: Aurora. We're very sorry for your experiences. As far as changing the system, we can only hope that series like this one shine the light on things in such a way that might help inspire whatever changes in the system might be necessary. Thanks again for writing, and good luck to your family.Submitted by Hector Oviedo from Fort Worth, TX
Q: Well this is more of a comment than question. First I want to thank you guys for doing such a great job in the Newspaper Chapters. I looked forward to reading a Chapter everyday in the morning as soon as I got up. I'm 28 years old and the story kind of touched home because I grew up in the North Side on Belmont Ave. and I attended Denver Ave. Elementary (now Rufino Mendoza Elementary). My cousin lived right across the street from Andy on Lee and knew who he was. My wifes sister also went to middle school with one of the brothers. Coincidently my sister-in-law also was friends with "Anna" (andy's ex-wife). They went to medical assistant school together but I didn't know she was married to Andy until one day I was reading the paper and my wife asked me if I remembered her sisters friend, Anna. Then she told me. The documentary on TV though was way to short. I expected it to show alot more interviews or more about his criminal history. Has there been any thought into making a movie?
Answered 03/11/08 12:15:06 by Judy Wiley
A: No discussion of a movie at this point.Submitted by gracie antu from Hurst, texas
Q: We never really found out how Andy Ortiz knew Brenda Salazar, or how the 2 met, we read about the other 2 but how did he know Brenda.
Answered 03/11/08 12:14:23 by Judy Wiley
A: The police never determined that, but we did in our interview. He told Tim he saw her outside the bar, Desperados, after she had gone there to apply for a job.Submitted by Margarita Charles from arlington, texas
Q: Will you do more of these real life novels in the future?? thanks,
Answered 03/11/08 12:13:31 by Judy Wiley
A: No decision has been made yet as to another novel. The response we're seeing today is very gratifying.Submitted by Margaret Hernandez from Fort Worth,Texas
Q: What inspired you to write such a GREAT article and how did you choose this particular person to write about? Will we see more stories like this in the near future? I want to commend everyone involved. Your team deserves an award or some type of acknowledgement. Thank you so much for a great segment, it not only touched my heart for the familys of the victims, but opened my eyes to the fact that we have to keep the lines of communication open with our children and warn them about people like Andy Garcia. Thank you again and keep up the great writing......Margaret
Answered 03/11/08 12:11:47 by Judy Wiley
A: The series stemmed from a conversation I had with Brannan about 18 months ago, during which he described the Ortiz case, the tragedy and all its twists and turns. It immediately seemed to me deserving of longer treatment, especially since all of Ortiz' appeals had expired, and detective were willing to share all their investigative materials with us, which generally is not the case. Also, I know that Brannan himself would make an excellent character in a novelistic type tale. He seems too good to be true, but I found him to be wholly genuine and talented, an amazing guy.Submitted by Lee from Keller, Texas
Q: Great series. I got really disappointed when there was a day or two that was skipped in the series. I do have one question. The very last sentence of the last chapter, made a reference that this scumbag had killed someone that either the author knew and/or was kin to. Is that true? Please elaborate. Because if there was a personal connection, I think that had a part in the excellent passion and detail that was covered in the series. Have a great day.
Answered 03/11/08 12:09:54 by Judy Wiley
A: Hi Lee. Fortunately, I have had no personal involvement with this guy, other than through the series. His crimes against those girls were enough to make anyone passionate about exposing what he did. Thanks for writing.Submitted by Todd from Hurst
Q: What do you think the impact of these cases has been to the Ft. Worth Police department, specifically regarding how cases are investigated and interaction with the crime lab?
Answered 03/11/08 12:09:41 by Tim Madigan
A: I don't know that anything will change formally. But I'm sure that after the series, and the exposure it's gotten, lots of folks in the police department and at the district attorney's office have done some soul searching. That's probably good. Through this process, though, I have learned these people are amazingly dedicated public servants. They are human and make mistakes as we all do, but are constantly trying to get better at their jobs.Submitted by Arianna from Fort Worth, TX
Q: I just want to publicly thank each and everyone involved in the star telegram for putting this story together. It seems that over the years the story would be locked away but you guys took it on and did a great job. My best friend would be proud for the fact that you showed Andy's true colors and what a pervert he infact is and will and will always be.
Answered 03/11/08 12:07:51 by Judy Wiley
A: Arianna, thank you so much for your interviews. You are a very intelligent and articulate woman -- your words and presence added a lot to both the story and the documentary.Submitted by Eric from Ft Worth, Tx
Q: Hello. Great story. My question is, with all the warrants that were requested and ultimately authorized, why were phone records of the victims or Andy Ortiz not requested so they could be cross checked to see if there were any similarities? In particular, multiple victims mentioned that they contacted Andy via pager, in particular the last victim in 2000 where she paged Andy from her friend’s house. I'm sure the technology for tracking calls/messages was available in 1997 and 2000. True, Andy may have called some of his victims back from a pay phone, but then possibly a pattern could have been discovered. It was obvious Andy made numerous phone calls to solicit victims, not all of them would have been from pay phones.
Answered 03/11/08 12:07:31 by Tim Madigan
A: Eric. Thanks much, and great question. What exactly police did with phone records was something that we never talked about. I'm sure they were looked at extensively, because it was clear that Ortiz did alot of his sordid business by phone and pager, but again, it was not something I discussed with detectives. Thanks again for reading and writing.Submitted by Jorge from Fort Worth, TX
Q: I'd like to start off by saying this was a great story. I attended the same middle school that all three Ortiz brothers went to, All Saints Catholic School. I have two questions: 1 - What ever happened to David Ortiz? 2 - How did the Mother of the Year (Stella) react to the request for an interview? Thanks, jorge
Answered 03/11/08 12:06:05 by Tim Madigan
A: Jorge. I've answered your first question in a previous post. As for the second, Stella continues to proclaim her son's innocence, against all evidence to the contrary, and was very angry when she leave we were doing this series. Obviously, she would not be interviewed.Submitted by Ozzie Garza from Arlington, Texas
Q: Andy Ortiz seemed to have too much time on his hands. Did he have a job? What did he do? Also, you mention in your piece that he has two brothers, one of whom is serving a life sentence. What about his other brother? What does he do? Also, what do his father and mother do for a living. What are their professions?
Answered 03/11/08 12:04:28 by Tim Madigan
A: Andy indeed seemed to have too much time on his hands. So far as we know, he worked a few odd jobs, but we often heard from folks that he seemed to be at home alot during the day. His father was a car salesman who ran unsuccessfully for Fort Worth City Council. His mother ran a flower shop. They were both well liked by many. Andy's other brother, David has been on the straight and narrow for a long time.Submitted by Charles Washington from Crowley, Texas
Q: Great investigation, when will the book be published ?
Answered 03/11/08 12:03:49 by Judy Wiley
A: No current plans to re-publish in book form.Submitted by Louis Montes from Colleyville, Tx
Q: Not really any questions, just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading a very good story. I found myself looking forward for the next day and disappointed when you took some days off. The TV special was good, but again, wished it was longer. Your story begged the question of the quality of parental supervision for both the killer and victims. More indepth analysis on Andy's parents would have been good. I hope you did this series in Spanish.
Answered 03/11/08 12:03:16 by Judy Wiley
A: We were not able to have the series translated into Spanish -- although we really wanted to. It would have been a very long and labor-intensive process to capture all the nuance, etc. involved.Submitted by clark humphrey from ft worth texas
Q: Are there any other known disappearances or murders that the police believe he is involved in yet can not prove it.
Answered 03/11/08 12:02:46 by Tim Madigan
A: The short answer to your question is no. At the time of Ortiz final arrest, police compared his DNA and fingerprints against evidence in other unsolved cases, and did not come up with anything. They also made law enforcement agencies across the state aware of him. Still nothing. Police suspect that there are no other murder victims, because Ortiz did not necessarily try to conceal the bodies of those he killed. Even the body of Krystal Minjarez was left at a place where it would be soon discovered.Submitted by Cruz from Ftw, TX
Q: Why was Ortiz not charged with the 3rd murder?
Answered 03/11/08 12:01:22 by Judy Wiley
A: There was no need to pursue it after he received life sentences on the other two -- he was put away for the rest of his life as it was.Submitted by Maria Balandran from Fort Worth
Q: I don't have a question just a thank you for putting this out there for us to read. I am a mother with a teenage daughter and know all to well that there are predators out there to harm all children. I asked my sixteen year old to sit and read the chapters from this article. I wanted her to be aware of the young men around her. I at least know my daughter's whereabouts at all times as well as whom she is with. It is still very scary to admit that there are people out there willing to harm innocent girls. I praise you for the integrity that you gave to this article.
Answered 03/11/08 12:00:00 by Tim Madigan
A: Your note, and several others like yours, have been one of the most gratifying aspects of this endeavor for us. If what we've written save one girl from being hurt, everything on our end will have been worthwhile.Submitted by Kris from Haltom City, TX
Q: First of all, you guys did a wonderful job on this project. I couldn't wait to read the paper each day to see what happened next. Ortiz is a coward for not confessing these crimes. Did his parents ever respond to any of this? Maybe Ortiz will wake up one day and realize he is not getting out and will confess. I hope you will publish more stories like this in the future. These stories are definitely an eye opener to teenange girls. Thanks!
Answered 03/11/08 11:59:50 by Judy Wiley
A: His parents chose not to respond for publication.Submitted by Parthenia Harden from Fort Worth,Texas
Q: We know that Andy killed 3 girls,but was only charged with 2,so please explain to me why he did not get the death penalty?
Answered 03/11/08 11:58:53 by Judy Wiley
A: As one of the final chapters notes, the prosecutors chose not to seek the death penalty because they wanted to make sure Ortiz was found guilty and put away, one way or another.Submitted by Sally from fort worth, texas
Q: Was Andy Given a lie detector test?
Answered 03/11/08 11:58:27 by Tim Madigan
A: Andy Ortiz would never have submitted to a lie detector test. Thanks for writing, Sally.Submitted by Todd from Hurst
Q: While interviewing Andy Ortiz at the end of the documentary, it seemed Ortiz made a veiled threat against the girl who identified him running down the alley the night of Armida Garcia's murder. What, if anything, have authorities done to ensure the girl and her family's safety, as well as 'impress' upon Ortiz that his threat was noted and will have repurcussions for him if they come true? Also, it seems like Ortiz's mother was in many ways obstructing justice. Was there any investigation of what she knew, when she knew it, and her actions? Her refusal to comment for your series is in many ways a damning indictment of her culpability in enabling her monster of a son. Thanks for the great series, and to all the hard work you, Deanna and Melody put in to make sure these innocent young girls'deaths didn't go unnoticed!
Answered 03/11/08 11:57:54 by Tim Madigan
A: Todd. Fort Worth authorities, particularly Curt Brannan, are very aware of Andy Ortiz' past propensities, and will act very quickly on any real threats made against anyone involved in this case. As far as Stella Ortiz, it is impossible to know what she knew about her son's exploits, since she would not talk to us. I talked to Curt Brannan about that today, and he said that police needed to be focused on Andy, not the mother. And that police generally anticipate parents throwing up roadblocks to investigators. That's nothing new.Submitted by JOHN DILBECK from FORT WORTH, TX
Q: Mr. Madigan, Ms. Wiley, Thank you for this incredibly informative series! I have been involved in several parts of the criminal-justice arena; and I must tell you, yours is one of the best series I have read. You covered -- in a complete and very-balanced way -- most facets of this story. Thank you, again. JD When does your book come out? Are either of you planning, or writing another? Have y'all cooperated before? Have either of you written others? What compelled you to follow this particular crime for so long, and so completely? Do either of you have legal, law-enforcement or justice backgrounds?
Answered 03/11/08 11:57:09 by Judy Wiley
A: There are currently no plans to re-publish the novel in book form, and a second serial hasn't yet bee discussed. Tim and I have worked together at the Star-Telegram for several years, but not on anything of this magnitude. We choose the Ortiz case for several reasons. The accessibility to public records on a case this old is much greater. We wanted to be able to show behind-the-scenes police work and help answer the question we all have in a case like Ortiz's: How did he stay on the streets for so long? We don't have law enforcement backgrounds, but I've spent probably 25 years of a 29-year career covering or supervising coverage of police and courts, including the Columbine killings, JonBenet Ramsey and many other less high-profile cases.
