On the evening of February 25, 2019, in an unincorporated area of Trussville, Alabama, 39-year-old Hispanic male Arnulfo Ortega arrived at a business on Service Road with the intention of purchasing a car from a co-worker. This seemingly ordinary transaction took a tragic turn when the co-worker, identified as 32-year-old Walter Edward Juskiewicz, allegedly produced a weapon and opened fire. Ortega was struck by the gunfire, sustaining a fatal wound.
A second individual who was with Ortega at the time managed to escape the shooting unharmed and later provided crucial information to law enforcement.
Emergency services, including the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and the Trussville Police Department, responded to the scene around 8 p.m. to find Ortega lying on the floor of the business with a gunshot wound. He was transported to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries and passed away on the morning of February 27, 2019. The investigation into the shooting quickly pointed to Juskiewicz as the primary suspect.
Based on evidence and the testimony from the second victim who escaped, authorities located and arrested Walter Edward Juskiewicz on February 27, 2019. He was subsequently charged with capital murder in the death of Arnulfo Ortega and attempted murder for firing at the second individual. A grand jury indicted Juskiewicz on these charges in September 2019. In April 2021, prosecutors announced their intention to seek the death penalty in the case, and a trial was scheduled for August 23, 2021. While awaiting trial, Juskiewicz faced additional legal trouble in October 2020, when he was charged with promoting prison contraband. This was not his first encounter with the law, as he had a prior conviction from 2013 for first-degree sodomy and sexual abuse of a child under 12, for which he was sentenced to ten years in prison with two to serve.
