Murder of Javier Vega Jr.

Javier Vega Jr. (June 17, 1978 - August 3, 2014) was an agent of the United States Border Patrol who was shot dead by an undocumented Mexican immigrant near Santa Monica, Texas on August 3, 2014. His killer was sentenced to the death penalty, and Vega was honored as the namesake of a street in La Feria, Texas and a Border Patrol checkpoint in Sarita, Texas.

Early life

Vega was born on June 17, 1978 in La Feria, Cameron County, Texas.[1] Prior to joining the Border Patrol, Vega had served in the United States Marine Corps.[2] He was married, and he had three children.[2][3]

Vega served in the Border Patrol from February 11, 2008 to August 3, 2014.[2]

Murder and convictions

While on an off-duty trip near Santa Monica in Willacy County, Texas with his wife, children and parents, Vega was shot in the chest by Gustavo Tijerina Sandoval, an undocumented Mexican immigrant who also shot his father, Javier Vega, Sr., in the hip.[3] Sandoval got into his car with an accomplice and drove away.[4] Vega's father shot back at the two men's car, who continued to drive for a few miles until their car broke down.[4] The father survived but Javier Vega, Jr. died shortly after.[3][5]

Sandoval and another undocumented Mexican citizen, Ismael Hernandez Vallejo, who was with him at the time, were arrested the next day.[3] The two men were originally from Matamoros, Tamaulipas.[3][4] Sandoval had four prior arrests for illegal entry into the United States.[4] He had also been charged with reckless driving in December 2006 and failed to appear in court; the charge had been dropped in February 2013.[4]

In September 2016, the National Border Patrol Council said USBP had redesignated Vega's death as "in line of duty", leading to federal compensation for his family.[6]

The two Mexican men were given jury trials. Gustavo Tijerina Sandoval was sentenced to death on June 5, 2018,[5] and Ismael Hernandez Vallejo was given a fifty-year prison sentence on January 15, 2019.[7][8]

Legacy

On December 16, 2017, a street was renamed in his honor in La Feria.[9][10]

On March 20, 2019, the Border Patrol checkpoint in Sarita, Texas was renamed in his memory.[11][12] The dedication was attended by Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.[11][12]

See also
  • Murders of Theodore L. Newton Jr. and George F. Azrak

References
  1. "Javier Vega Jr". Valley Morning Star. August 6, 2014. p. 10. Retrieved July 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Javier Vega, Jr". U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  3. Del Valle, Fernando (August 5, 2014). "2 In Custody. Mexican nationals given various charges in BP shooting". Valley Morning Star. Harlingen, Texas. pp. 1, 8. Retrieved July 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Del Valle, Fernando (August 5, 2014). "Border Agent robbed, killed". The Brownsville Herald. Brownsville, Texas. p. 4. Retrieved July 28, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Nelsen, Aaron (June 5, 2018). "Border Patrol agent's killer gets the death penalty". mysanantonio.com.
  6. "Customs and Border Protection classifies Agent Javier Vega Jr.'s murder as 'line of duty'". KGBT-TV. September 21, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  7. Preciado, Abril (January 16, 2019). "Accomplice in Border Patrol agent's death pleads guilty". KGBT-TV. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  8. Reagan, Mark (January 15, 2019). "Gunman pleads guilty to killing off-duty Border Patrol agent". The Monitor. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  9. "Javier Vega Jr. Street". City of La Feria. December 19, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  10. Garcia, Raul (December 19, 2017). "Never Forgotten. City leaders rename street after hometown hero". Valley Morning Star. Harlingen, Texas. p. A3. Retrieved July 26, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Ferman, Mitchell (March 21, 2019). "Sarita checkpoint renamed after slain agent". The Monitor. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  12. Sealey, Stephen (March 21, 2019). "Sarita checkpoint renamed Javier Vega Border Patrol Checkpoint". KGBT-TV. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
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