Hoping to bolster their murder case against Border Patrol Agent Joel Luna, prosecutors showed jurors a safe they say he used to store $90,000 in smuggled money.
Jay Root
Jay Root is an award-winning journalist who reported for the Tribune from 2011 to 2020. He covered the dramatic collapse of Gov. Rick Perry’s 2012 presidential campaign and went on to write an ebook about it called “Oops! A Diary from the 2012 Campaign Trail.” Root also broke the story that put the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, on the path toward criminal indictment, co-wrote an exposé that brought an end to privately funded prosecutions in Travis County, and authored a series of watchdog articles that prompted a wave of firings and resignations at two major state agencies.
In 2017, Root co-directed “Beyond The Wall,” a film exploring border politics in the age of Trump, which won a national Edward R. Murrow award for best news documentary. Root’s latest film, “Border Hustle,” was released in early 2019 and reveals how desperate migrants have become cash cows on both sides of the border.
Previously, for a dozen years, Root was Austin bureau chief of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he chronicled the rise of then-Gov. George W. Bush, wrote about cartel violence in Mexico and covered Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. During a three-year stint at the Associated Press, Root was twice named AP Staff Reporter of the Year for his watchdog reporting, including a story that sparked felony charges against a sitting state representative.
Posted in
Bordering on Insecurity
Border Patrol agent tied to smuggled money but not to slaying in day 3 of trial
Joel Luna, the Border Patrol agent on trial for capital murder in Brownsville, was linked to hundreds of thousands of dollars in smuggled money by the prosecution’s star witness — Luna’s older brother Eduardo.
Posted in
Bordering on Insecurity
Sobbing brother testifies in Border Patrol agent’s murder trial
The star witness against a Border Patrol agent accused of murder — his own brother — gave tearful testimony in a Brownsville courtroom Wednesday.
Posted in
Bordering on Insecurity
Sparring over evidence marks first day of Border Patrol agent’s trial
A state judge ruled that a statement Border Patrol Agent Joel Luna voluntarily gave authorities can be used in his murder trial. Sparring over evidence marked the first day of his trial in South Texas, in a case that has stoked concern about alleged law enforcement corruption on the U.S. side of the border.
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Bordering on Insecurity
Border Patrol agent’s murder trial begins this week
The capital murder case began in 2015 with the discovery of a headless body floating off South Padre Island. The trial of two men charged in the case — a U.S. Border Patrol agent and his Mexican-born brother — begins today in South Texas.
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Politics
Top House Republican says dark money debate won’t kill ethics reform
Rep. Charlie Geren, the powerful Fort Worth Republican pushing ethics reform in the Texas House this year, is determined not to let a fight over so-called “dark money” torpedo the effort as it did in 2015.
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Energy
Energy secretary pick Rick Perry to divest of holdings that could present conflicts
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, now the nominee for U.S. energy secretary, is moving to disentangle himself from potential conflicts of interest.
Posted inState Government
Senator goes for low-hanging fruit in ethics reform
State Sen. Van Taylor, R-Plano, is taking a realistic approach to ethics reform this year. He’s pushing proposals that got wide agreement in both chambers two years ago but ultimately failed to draw Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature.
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Bordering on Insecurity
8 border security secrets state and federal officials don’t want to reveal
Trying to get beyond the rhetoric on border security or immigration at the state or federal level is often a fool’s errand. Here are eight secrets in those often shadowy arenas.
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Bordering on Insecurity
When asked, won’t tell: top three officials duck specifics on illegal hiring
The state’s top elected officials are happy to go on about border security, but they get tongue tied if the conversation turns to cracking down on employers of undocumented immigrants.
