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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Juarez violence claims life of 21 year old Colorado man



By Jeffry Wolf
9 News

The brutal violence terrorizing Mexican border towns hit home for a Colorado family Thursday. Armed commandos killed an Aurora man in Mexico Wednesday, according to the family and several Mexican media reports.

The murder happened in the northern Mexican border region, an area the U.S. State Department has urged Americans to avoid if possible because of ongoing cartel violence.

According to family members, Jake Marlowe Reyes-Neal was murdered in his own home early Wednesday morning. Suspected drug cartel gunman shot him up to eighty times with automatic weapons. According to the Mexican newspaper El Diario, 90 shell casings were found near the scene of the shooting outside Reyes-Neal's home in Ciudad Juarez.

"They kicked in the door," Matthew Reyes-Neal, the victim's brother, said. "He was protecting his family."

"They beat my cousin," Athena Bateman said. "They beat him in the house and dragged him outside and shot him."

"My nephew ran over and he said, 'Why is my Dad dead?'" Matthew Reyes-Neal said.

Jake Marlowe Reyes-Neal was just 21 years old. He moved his family to Mexico two years ago when his wife Tania was denied U.S. citizenship. According to family members, Tania's parents smuggled her to Colorado when she was a baby.

Jake and Tania met at Aurora Central High school when they were 16. They became high school sweethearts who fell in love, got married, and had a son named Anthony who is now 3. Jake Marlowe Reyes-Neal's wife and son survived the attack.

"He loved his son," Matthew Reyes-Neal said. "He loved his wife so much."

Jake Marlowe Reyes-Neal told family members he worried about the ongoing violence in Mexico.

"His worst fear was becoming a statistic. And that's what he became," Matthew Reyes-Neal said.


9NEWS called the U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Wednesday afternoon. A spokesman said he was "aware" of Jake Marlowe Reyes-Neal's murder but would not release any other information.

The Reyes-Neal family insisted Jake Marlowe Reyes-Neal was not involved with the cartels. They said he worked as a mechanic and was killed when he got into a fight with a suspected cartel member who tried steal his truck.

According to the family, twenty men returned to the house several hours later and killed Jake Marlowe Reyes-Neal and another 18-year-old man.

Then they allegedly stole almost everything in the house, including the food in the fridge.

Earlier in the week, Jake and Tania were celebrating.

"She's pregnant," Bateman said. "My cousin will never get to see his second baby."

Now family members are grieving. Jake Marlowe Reyes-Neal's mother crossed into Mexico Wednesday to identify his body and bring it back to the United States.

"He's dead now. He's gone," Bateman said. "And we never get him back."

22 comments:

  1. What a sad, sad story.

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  2. And they also stole the food? Damn, i thought the cartels payed good money. What a shame..

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  3. Juarez has a rule live by the gun die by the gun. he looks like a dirt bag! tattoo on your neck come on stupid media enough of this liberal crap! he was a crook so the crooks took care to the crook. then are you serious a illegal alien finally was deported!

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  4. I'm kind of on the side of 10:08, the guy looks like a scumbag and his wife looked like all the generic gangsta Mexican chicks I saw in high school that had no futures ahead of them. As for the Illegal Alien thing, I have a friend who's illegal, and he graduated HS with a 3.5 GPA. He could go to almost any high level college but can't because of the expenses. Also doesn't even know how to speak Spanish.

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  5. So because he chose to be with his wife n kids when they were deported to Mexico and provide for them he's a dirtbag? I doubt you're half the man he was

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  6. Two extremes, but people have pasts, and they don't always represent the present. I know a lot of guys with prison records and gang tattoos who are good people who left that behind.

    I have a feeling this is the same thing that happened to the two in Tijuana, crossed with the wrong person. These groups are without discipline, and seemingly under limited leadership, heavy firepower, drunk with ego and probably other things, it's tragic that these things happen, but theres no mystery here. The food theft was probably just further disrespect, like 'you didn't let us take your truck, so we are taking everything you have'.

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  7. A hit team goes to a home kicks door down beats the victim then shoot him 80?? times, does not sound like a random act.

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  8. Ovemex...what about the truck? wasn't there 2 visits to the home?

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  9. @ April 6, 2011 8:04 AM,

    The article states he (victim) got into a fight with a cartel member, when the cartel member tried to steal the his truck. So, this looks like pay back for that incident.

    I don't think his wife was actually deported, rather just denied citizenship, when that happens the U.S. doesn't actively go looking for you to deport you. They or she could of just kept a low profile and remained in the U.S. undetected for years (happens all the time), it would appear they chose to leave (relocate) to Mexico. Why move to the most dangerous city (considered by some) Juarez? Dunno..

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  10. @Buela

    According to El Diario de Juarez, the motive seems to be revenge..

    Apparently Jake and his friend who was also killed had had a confrontation with a gang that was robbing houses.

    Witnesses say an Expedition and a green car showed up at his house, the Expedition busted down the front gate and all occupants entered the home in search of the two men.

    3 females, including a 2 or 3 year old (I wonder if this may actually be the little boy) were forced into a bathroom, then the two men were drug out of the house, thrown to the ground and shot repeatedly.

    Police found over 90 casings and blood, bone, and tissue over a 10 meter radius.

    http://www.diario.com.mx/notas.php?f=2011%2F04%2F02&id=5268eee8065ae96e750ff7b75dc88ed1

    according to Norte digital news, the confrontation between Jake and this gang was a few days earlier when they attempted to steal his truck.

    http://nortedigital.mx/noticias/inseguridad_cdj/22963/

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  11. The tattoo on his neck says "Anthony", his son's name. You are truly an idiot. I hope someone shoves a watermelon up your ass.

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  12. Robbing Houses?? Legalize drugs,that will solve the problem,RIGHT.

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  13. Ovemex...Wow, thanks for the update about the truck, it surely did not make sense that he would not give up the truck to keep his family safe.

    This was one of the saddest cases I have seen in a long while. The fact that he was only 19 and a good man struggling and fighting the US to allow his wife in legally.

    My heart aches...

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  14. Another example of people at the mercy of armed criminals,this man and his friend slaughtered with no chance. It is against all human rights to be disarmed,and made incapable of defending yourself,by the STATE. All the weak people who believe the STATE will protect them are free to allow the state to protect them,BUT WHY DENY OTHER CITIZENS THE ABILITY TO DEFEND THEMSELVES??

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  15. This was not a random act and I doubt it was a fight over the truck. This guy had to be involved in something... the Cartel wouldn't waste their time over this. If it was over the truck, then he should have given them the truck, life is more precious.

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  16. i hope they let his family come back to the us
    i just read about the minor who was killed at the hands of his brother for refusing to sell drugs. now they kill their own, whats with that. i guess blood is not thicker than drugs or money. so very sad. Mexico is beyond prayers. Whats next

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  17. The cartels are a bunch of pussy's and if one of there members has his ass whooped they would go back and do this,

    If they didn't more people would stand up and kick some cartel ass, but this sends a message if we want your personal property and you fight back we will come and kill you.

    I travel to Mexico allot around the Chihuahua area, and in a small town where they stage drugs because of the police being paid off, the La Linea there are some skinny mid 20 some rejects that have been deported or are coked out of there mind.

    On any day standing up to one of them would result in that la Linea member having his ass handed to them but when they group up they think they are strong.

    And the one who said his wife looks like a gangster girl , you are tripping, i didn't see that when i looked at her picture.

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  18. Anonymous 11:52 lol yea their skinny 20 year olds but did you tell them anything lol those are nothing they just work the corners.and everybody knows the jackers are little kids and guys who are weak. he was probably a wack NSM and thought gangs here which are nothing were the same over there in juarez.R8

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  19. if u mess with a cartel member your bond to get murdered. even if its over a pop a car a girl a shirt anything it dont matter. its part of theyr culture they feel disrespected so u pay with ur life... i know it sounds stupid n stuff...

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  20. respects go out to this young man. He chose to be with his wife and kid. Now his child has to deal with this internally for the rest of his life. That is your FUTURE Mexico. I hope this kid grows up to do great things and save his country from these demons.

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  21. whether a person has tattoos or not that doesnt make him a crook its his personality that matters so you guys shouldnt be so quick to judge a person for his features, but this is a tragic story and this could happen to any of us who are in mexico, i got denied entrance back to the U.S. also and the way things are in juarez it is not safe at all and only got worse with Calderons war on drugs

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  22. You should never judge someone on their looks. Jake was a great man and father, I knew him personally. He made the decision To go down to Mexico to stay with his wife and child while they tried to get her citizenship the right way. She was deported but after she was denied her citizenship here in Colorado she was told she had to leave or she would never be granted citizenship. And Jake was not mixed up in anything down there, he barely spoke Spanish! he traveled across border everyday in search of a job to support his family. Tattoos mean nothing about a persons character, the tattoo on this neck was of his sons name and the others he had were of his wife's and mothers name. It is infuriating to read the ignorant words of people who judge this tragedy without actually knowing the family but I feel I NEED to set the ignorance straight and let the rest you know the real Jake in this horrible tragedy.

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