About Leon
Who Was Leon Laureles?
Juan Leon Laureles was a son, a brother, an uncle, a nephew, a coworker, and a friend. He was born on 3 January, 1966, and was murdered senselessly outside of Brownwood, Texas on 10 May, 1996. No arrests have been made, and the case remains unsolved.
Leon left the home he shared with his brother in Bangs, Texas shortly before midnight on 9 May, 1996 for his overnight shift at Kroger grocery store in nearby Brownwood. Ever a punctual and reliable employee, Leon's coworkers were instantly worried when he failed to show up for work that evening. A short time later, Leon's body was found near his burning car on the FM 2126 access road just outside of town. Leon had been shot in the back of the head once, execution-style. The case was turned over to the Texas Rangers immediately, and went cold almost as quickly.
Leon was a loving, tender soul who cared deeply for his family, his friends, and his coworkers. The youngest of nine children, Leon took care of his aging parents starting at a young age. He learned to cook, clean, and tend to the household, and often drove his parents to medical appointments out of town. He forged a strong, sibling-like bond with his niece Arlene, who was just three years younger than him. After his parents passed away, Leon continued to help his family in myriad ways, from doing the cooking for large family gatherings to moving in with his niece to help raise her children. His sense of community and family were unmatched.
At the time of his murder, Leon was 30 years old, and just starting to live his own life. He had a solid job, he had expanded his circle of friends, and he was beginning to date. The latter is important to the story, as Leon was gay, and there is strong speculation that his sexual orientation played a part in his death. The circumstances surrounding his murder are not known for sure, but Leon did mention to two different family members that he had been threatened. Once by a pair of local small-time criminals, and once by a member of law enforcement. The investigators who originally handled the case are both deceased, and the private investigator hired by the family also claims to have been threatened and run out of town. Available information indicates that very little movement has ever been made in the investigation, and family members have received very few answers.
