On March 17, 2017, a tragic series of events unfolded at the La Placita market in Bowling Green, Kentucky, culminating in the death of 31-year-old Jose Cruz. Mr. Cruz, a male of Hispanic descent, had arrived at the Morgantown Road grocery store in the afternoon to pick up his children from his ex-wife, who was an employee there. Unbeknownst to him, an armed robbery was in progress inside the market, which also offered check-cashing and wire transfer services.
Two armed men, later
identified as Johnny Alexander Relles-Martinez and José Adan Mejia Varela, had entered La Placita, locked the door, and were demanding money from the employees. Mr. Cruz’s children were inside the store during the ordeal. As one of the robbers, Varela, unlocked the door to leave, Cruz entered the market and realized what was happening. He began to fight with the other gunman, Martinez. Varela then re-entered the store and attempted to strike Cruz with his pistol. During the struggle, Martinez shot Cruz. The entire incident was witnessed by Mr. Cruz's children. First responders transported him to a local hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation that followed revealed that the robbery and murder of Jose Cruz were part of a larger criminal enterprise. Law enforcement officials connected the crime to at least twelve other violent robberies targeting small, privately-owned stores, many of them Hispanic-owned, across Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina. In connection with the death of Jose Cruz, five individuals were eventually charged. The suspects were identified as Johnny Alexander Relles-Martinez, José Adan Mejia Varela, Jorge Santos Caballero-Melgar, who allegedly acted as the lookout, Lillian Duron, and Estrellita Soto. Duron and Soto were reportedly inside the market shortly before the robbery, with Soto allegedly providing information to the others about the location of the money and when the store would have fewer customers. All five individuals were eventually convicted for their roles in the crime.
