Ines Cruz

Ines Cruz, a 49-year-old man from Brownsville, Texas, was killed alongside his 24-year-old son, Manuel Cruz, in December 2021. The two were found together in what authorities described as an execution-style double homicide.

On the afternoon of December 29, 2021, a passerby reported seeing two men on the side of Old Port Isabel Road, east of Lomo Alta Lake in Cameron County. When sheriff’s deputies arrived around 1:30 p.m., they discovered the bodies of the father and son. Both men had been shot in the head. Their hands and legs were bound with rope, tape was placed over their mouths, and black T-shirts were tied over their heads. A justice of the peace who pronounced them dead at the scene stated that the killings appeared to be "execution style" and connected to "organized criminal activity." Investigators believed the men were killed at another location and their bodies were then dumped on the roadside.

The Cameron County Sheriff’s Office launched a homicide investigation that led to the identification and arrest of several suspects. In March 2023, a grand jury returned indictments against three men for their alleged roles in the killings. Lawrence James Strong was indicted on one count of capital murder, two counts of murder, and two counts of aggravated kidnapping. The indictment stated that he caused the deaths of Ines and Manuel Cruz by shooting them during their abduction.

A second suspect, Cesar Olvera, was indicted on two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon. According to his indictment, his participation in the kidnapping led to the deaths of the father and son. A third man, Roman Torres, was also indicted on two counts of directing the activities of a street gang. His indictment alleged that in his leadership capacity, he directed or supervised gang members to commit murder. All three men were held in a county jail.

As of March 2023, the case against the three indicted men was in litigation and awaiting trial.