Albert Joseph "Joey" Fischer Jr., an 18-year-old male of Hispanic ethnicity, was a senior honors student at Saint Joseph Academy in Brownsville, Texas. On March 3, 1993, Joey was shot dead outside his home in Rancho Viejo, Texas. The cause of death was gunshot wounds.
The murder of Joey Fischer drew national attention due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the crime. Joey had recently broken up with his girlfriend, Cristina Cisneros, the daughter of Dora Cisneros. Obsessed with reuniting Joey and her daughter, Dora Cisneros offered Joey $500 to stay with Cristina, but he refused. She then consulted a fortune teller, María Mercedes Martínez, to cast a spell on Joey. When the fortune teller refused, Dora decided to have Joey murdered instead and offered $3,000 to anyone who would kill him.
Martínez passed the money and a photograph of Joey to Daniel Orlando Garza, who then contacted two Mexican hitmen, Israel Olivarez Cepeda and Heriberto Puentes Pizaña, to carry out the murder. The hitmen killed Joey and fled to Mexico. Garza, feeling guilty, confessed to the police and cooperated with them to incriminate Martínez. Martínez pleaded guilty and testified against the hitmen, leading to the arrest of Dora Cisneros.
In 1994, a state court sentenced Dora Cisneros and Daniel Orlando Garza to life in prison. However, Cisneros's sentence was overturned, and she was convicted again in 1998 by a federal court and sentenced to life in prison. Martínez received a 20-year sentence after her guilty plea and testimony. The hitmen were prosecuted in Mexico and given a 15-year sentence.
Joey Fischer was remembered as a bright and talented young man with a 98.5 grade-point average and aspirations of becoming an engineer. His death left a lasting impact on his family, friends, and community.
