Editing Samuel Velasco Gurrola (section)

==Background==
When Velasco's stepdaughter told her mother Velesco had abused her she was determined authorities should prosecute him. The girl's age meant under Texan law she was too young to testify so Ruth Sagredo would be the only prosecution witness. He was charged with sexual offenses.

His law team succeeded in having the trial postponed seven times, but were unable to prevent it altogether. in 2008 a trial date was set for the end of the year and so the three siblings met at Samuel Velasco's home to plot Ruth Sagredo's murder.

The trio was already suspected by the FBI of trafficking drugs into Texas via El Paso on the Mexican border, and of using Samuel Velasco's shoe shop in the city to launder the proceeds. Court documents would later allege the trio were involved in kidnappings from 2009-2013, but Vice News ran an investigation alleging the three were already involved at this stage and targeted students, businessmen, children, and medical professionals. Prosecutors suspect Samuel Velesco was the organization's ringleader and Vice claimed he took charge of ransom negotiations.