SILENT WITNESS

2nd suspect in Phoenix murder remains unidentified in 2014 case

Feb 6, 2023, 1:00 PM | Updated: 1:07 pm
(Pixabay Photo)...
(Pixabay Photo)
(Pixabay Photo)

This article originally appeared March 16, 2015.

Phoenix Police Sgt. Derek Elmore said officers responded to a welfare-check call at the home of Jesus Cortez near 67th Avenue and Indian School Road a week before Christmas, Dec. 17, 2014.

“Our 38-year-old victim was dead when officers arrived,” he said. “They could see there was some kind of forced entry.”

Jesus Cortez, a father of four, had been murdered. He’d started Cortez Construction in 2010 with his two sons.

His daughters said he was very much a family man who spent every Sunday with them playing dominoes and eating his favorite foods.

Jesus Cortez

The night of the killing, his truck, his SUV and a box trailer all went missing.

The vehicles were recovered but the trailer is still gone. One person was arrested two days after the crime.

“They took two vehicles so we know there was at least a second suspect,” Elmore said. “The arrested person is not helping detectives with that information.”

Read more about this case here.


Our next case involves a 6-foot-3 suspect posing as a cop and making traffic stops.

“The suspect, who later identified himself as Hector to our victim, was wearing a bulletproof vest with the word ‘Sheriff’ in big yellow letters across it,” Elmore said.

He even has his car modified. It’s a white sedan with dark tinted windows and blue and red flashing lights on the dash.

On the night of Feb. 9, 2015, he pulled behind a woman driving near 48th and Van Buren streets.

She wisely pulled into a well-lit, occupied convenience store. The poser told her she could get out of going to jail if she performed certain sexual favors.

Elmore said she was able to placate the man by asking for his number and telling him she’d meet him later. She was able to get away.

Read more about this case here.

Silent Witness

(Pixabay Photo)...
Jayme West

Police searching for man who grabbed woman at Phoenix bus stop in 2020

A suspect exposed himself to woman at a Phoenix bus stop and grabbed her arm in 2015, police said. He was never caught.
2 days ago
(Public Domain Pictures Photo)...
Jayme West

Tempe robbery suspect got more than he bargained for in 2015

An armed robbery suspect wearing a black garbage bag hit the Chevron at Guadalupe and Kyrene roads in Tempe in 2015 and got a surprise when the clerk fought back.
9 days ago
(Pixabay Photo)...
Jayme West

2015 evening out in Tempe turns into robbery nightmare for couple

Phoenix Police Detective Kimberly Bates said a couple was pushing their 1-month-old baby in a stroller. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed.
16 days ago
(Freepik.com Photo)...
Jayme West

Robber wearing white gloves hits cellphone store in Phoenix

A robber wearing white gloves walked into a Phoenix phone store, waited for all of the customers to leave, before pulling out a gun and robbing the place.
23 days ago
(Public Domain Pictures Photo)...
KTAR.com

Phoenix police searching for suspect in violent 2015 rape case

A female security guard was sexually assaulted at a Phoenix apartment complex and thieves in Tempe stole a backflow device from a gas station. Both cases happened in 2015.
30 days ago
(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...
Sponsored Content by OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

Here's what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.

Sponsored Articles

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.
...
Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.
...
Quantum Fiber

How high-speed fiber internet edges out cable for everyday use

In a world where technology drives so much of our daily lives, a lack of high-speed internet can be a major issue.
2nd suspect in Phoenix murder remains unidentified in 2014 case