U.S./Mexican Border Violence Continues: Another American Murdered

Mexican officials wouldn’t release the victim’s name, but University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) officials confirmed that Jorge Luis Dieppa, 57, a court interpreter and part-time lecturer at UTEP, was killed in Juarez. Dieppa was also a member of the El Paso Interpreters and Translators Association and had worked as an interpreter for the Texas Workforce Commission. Federal officials would not disclose further information. Fox News reported that a UTEP spokeswoman said that Dieppa, a Spanish interpreter since 2004, worked in the languages and linguistics department at the university.

State prosecutor's officials in the Mexican state of Chihuahua issued a news release saying that a man's body was discovered with multiple stab wounds, and bound with duct tape. They reported that he had been killed after his family failed to pay a $10,000 ransom.

BB reported that the events centered on the kidnapper’s demands going awry when the victim recognized one of the captors. Allegedly, the suspects made the decision to kill Dieppa after he realized that one of them was a woman with whom he'd had a five-year relationship: Lisbeth "La Liz" Nayeli Rodriguez Alanis, 22, an exotic dancer. His body was found in an abandoned warehouse. Officials at the FBI confirmed that an investigation was underway, but FBI Special Agent Michael Martinez said, "The FBI will not release a comment on this ongoing investigation."

Fox stated that Dieppa's kidnapping and violent death are not believed to be related to his status as a federal employee, but also reported that Puente Libre, a Mexican news outlet, claims the suspects decided to kidnap Dieppa after learning that he taught college courses in El Paso. Mexican and court officials had been told he crossed the border into Mexico to have work done on his car.

In addition to Rodriguez Alanis, the other two suspects are Víctor Alfonso "El Gordo" Cano Molina, 24; and Antonio Tarango Montes, 60. 

BB reported, however, that divisional office manager at U.S. District Court in El Paso Tom Hilburger could not confirm that Tuesday’s arrest of the three suspects was related to Dieppa's murder. The BB report closed with a comment from a woman who answered at a phone number listed in Dieppa’s name: “One of Dieppa's neighbors said she could share no more than what the family was willing to release but said, ‘Whatever it is, it's being hushed to protect somebody.’”

Whether or not the investigation will reveal further facts of a coverup in this confusing report, one fact is clear: Another American has died in the continual violence that characterizes the unsecured international border. Dieppa’s death follows the murders of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, West Coast Beverage maintenance employees, Sergio Luna and Kevin Romero, missionary Nancy Davis, ICE agent Jaime Zapata, and vacationer David Hartley.

Photo: AP Images