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Soldier Accused of Being Cartel Hit Man

CNN
posted: 3 HOURS 28 MINUTES AGO
comments: 113
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(Aug. 12) -- A U.S. soldier arrested in connection with the killing of a Mexican drug cartel member in El Paso, Texas, allegedly worked as a hit man, court records say.
Pfc. Michael Jackson Apodaca, 18, was one of three men arrested Monday in connection with the shooting death of the mid-level drug cartel member who also worked as an informant for the United States, according to a complaint affidavit.
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Drug Informant Slain
Army Pfc. Michael Jackson Apodaca, 18, who is stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, was arrested Monday in connection with the May 15 killing of a Mexican drug cartel member who was also an informant for the United States. According to court documents, the Juarez drug cartel paid Apodaca to carry out the killing.
El Paso Police Department / AP
El Paso Police Department / AP
Police identified the other suspects as Ruben Rodriguez Dorado, 30, and Christopher Andrew Duran, 17.
The three men each face one count of capital murder, El Paso police said.
The victim, Jose Daniel Gonzalez Galeana, was shot multiple times in front of his home on May 15.
Duran and Rodriguez told police that Apodaca was paid to be the shooter, the affidavit states. Cell phone records, witness statements and El Paso Police detectives corroborated this, according to the document.
Orders to kill Gonzalez came from the same cartel he worked for, the affidavit said. Gonzalez had become a target because the cartel believed he was leaking information to authorities, the document said.
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The victim and one of the suspects, Rodriguez, were in the Juarez cartel, based across the border from El Paso, police spokesman Chris Mears told CNN. Police believe that Apodaca and Duran were not cartel members, he said
The three arrested men's phone records showed their approximate locations on the night of the killing, according to court documents. The pattern showed that the suspects were tracking Gonzalez and followed him to the scene of the crime, the affidavit states.
During an interrogation, Rodriguez told investigators that he ordered Gonzalez's execution and that he paid the participants for their role in the killing, the affidavit states.
Apodaca joined the Army in September 2008, according to a statement from Fort Bliss in El Paso. He is a member of the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Bliss and performs the duties of a Patriot launcher crew member, the statement said.
El Paso County District Court records show that Apodaca was arrested 10 days after Gonzalez's killing and charged with attempted theft of property, a second-degree felony. He posted a $10,000 bond a few days later.
© 2009 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2009-08-12 09:12:38
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GFRATI8

03:07 PMAug 12 2009

Michctr 03:05 PMAug 12 2009 HE SHOULD GET THE GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL AND THE MARKSMAN ALSO======================SHHH HE KILLED THIS PERSON FOR HIS BOSS WHO COULD DISTRIBUTE MORE DRUGS INTO THE US

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GFRATI8

03:05 PMAug 12 2009

HAP0749 03:02 PMAug 12 2009 GFRATI8 02:58 PMAug 12 2009 HAP0749 02:56 PMAug 12 2009 WE COULD DO A CLASS HERE FOR MOST. DO YOU KNOW WHAT SOCIALISM IS AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT THE COMMIES? AND HOW IS THE COMMIES DIFFERENT THEN FACISM? WHAT IS THE USA SUPPOSE TO BE? DO YOU KNOW? DO YOU KNOW THAT 18% OF AMERICANS THINK THE SUN GOES AROUND THE EARTH. HOW DID THESE PEOPLE GET THRU SCHOOL==============BE CAREFUL YOU COULD DRUM UP ANOTHER SCOPES TRIAL.................********** THANKFULLY I WAS NOT BORN IN TENN. BUT I DO HAVE A GRANDCHILD THAT WAS. :) I DO LIKE THE STATE AND HAVE HAD FINE SHINE THERE. DON'T DRINK ANYMORE. LOL=========I'M SIPPING SOME JACK DANIELS IN YOUR HONOR....MY GRAND KIDS ARE IN CALIFORNIA...AGGGGHHH

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Michctr

03:05 PMAug 12 2009

HE SHOULD GET THE GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL AND THE MARKSMAN ALSO.

AVG RATING:
(1)

wssdxf

03:03 PMAug 12 2009

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NickCherryl

03:03 PMAug 12 2009

Wonder if Eric Holder will protect this guy, I heard he voted for Obama?

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GFRATI8

03:03 PMAug 12 2009

Castlescotsman 02:59 PMAug 12 2009 What is the possibility that our hard working americans will be fitting the bill to allow free healthcare to a cartel member=======================KNOCK KNOCK...ANYONE HOME?...................YOU CAN GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM GET HEALTHCARE THEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY AND THE HOSPITALS TO RECOUP THEIR LOSS CHARGE YOUR INSURANCE COMPANIES MORE WHICH THEY PASS THAT COST ON TO YOU........................YOU ARE PAYING FOR THEM NOW BUT THE IDIOTS IN WASHINGTON AGAINST THIS PLAN KNOW IT....THEY KNOW THE HEALTHCARE INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE MAKING YOU PAY MORE

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(0)

HAP0749

03:02 PMAug 12 2009

GFRATI8 02:58 PMAug 12 2009 HAP0749 02:56 PMAug 12 2009 WE COULD DO A CLASS HERE FOR MOST. DO YOU KNOW WHAT SOCIALISM IS AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT THE COMMIES? AND HOW IS THE COMMIES DIFFERENT THEN FACISM? WHAT IS THE USA SUPPOSE TO BE? DO YOU KNOW? DO YOU KNOW THAT 18% OF AMERICANS THINK THE SUN GOES AROUND THE EARTH. HOW DID THESE PEOPLE GET THRU SCHOOL==============BE CAREFUL YOU COULD DRUM UP ANOTHER SCOPES TRIAL.................********** THANKFULLY I WAS NOT BORN IN TENN. BUT I DO HAVE A GRANDCHILD THAT WAS. :) I DO LIKE THE STATE AND HAVE HAD FINE SHINE THERE. DON'T DRINK ANYMORE. LOL

AVG RATING:
(2)

Castlescotsman

02:59 PMAug 12 2009

What is the possibility that our hard working americans will be fitting the bill to allow free healthcare to a cartel member?its going to happen .If ya dont believe that what is the chance of an army soldier killing a mexican cartel member /informant?

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HAP0749

02:59 PMAug 12 2009

A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.WHAT IS THIS ????

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GFRATI8

02:58 PMAug 12 2009

HAP0749 02:56 PMAug 12 2009 WE COULD DO A CLASS HERE FOR MOST. DO YOU KNOW WHAT SOCIALISM IS AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT THE COMMIES? AND HOW IS THE COMMIES DIFFERENT THEN FACISM? WHAT IS THE USA SUPPOSE TO BE? DO YOU KNOW? DO YOU KNOW THAT 18% OF AMERICANS THINK THE SUN GOES AROUND THE EARTH. HOW DID THESE PEOPLE GET THRU SCHOOL==============BE CAREFUL YOU COULD DRUM UP ANOTHER SCOPES TRIAL.................

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(2)

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A U.S. soldier arrested in connection with the killing of a Mexican drug cartel member in El Paso, Texas, allegedly worked as a hit man, court records say. Pfc. Michael Jackson Apodaca, 18, was one of three men arrested Monday in connection with the shooting death of the mid-level drug cartel member who also worked as an informant for the United States, according to a complaint affidavit.\n\n