JOHNNY JOE AVALOS | The San Antonio Strangler | Sadistic Sex Necrophiliac Serial Killer Smashes 5 | At Least 20 Intended Victims Escaped | LWOP | Autographed Letter, Signed

Johnny Joe Avalos

Background Information

Johnny Joe Avalos, born on December 1, 1986, is an American serial killer who committed a series of heinous crimes in San Antonio, Texas, between 2012 and 2015. He is known for raping and fatally strangling five victims, including four women and a teenage girl. His method of killing involved using his hands to strangle the victims and, in some cases, employing plastic bags. Avalos was arrested in April 2015 after DNA evidence linked him to the murders.

Criminal Activities

Avalos’s criminal activities began with his first known victim, Vanessa Lopez, who was murdered in October 2012. Her body was discovered floating in the San Antonio River shortly after her death. This murder was part of a troubling pattern as six women were found dead under suspicious circumstances within a short timeframe in Bexar County. Despite initial speculation about a serial killer being responsible for these deaths, law enforcement did not have enough evidence to confirm this theory at that time.

The subsequent murders included:

Natalie Chavez: A 15-year-old runaway who was raped and strangled on December 18, 2014. Her body was found the next day under a bridge.

Rosemary Perez: Strangled around January 10, 2015; her body was discovered wrapped in a sheet two days later.

Genevieve Ramirez: Avalos attacked her on April 4, 2015; she died two months later from injuries sustained during the assault.

Celia Lopez: His final known victim whose decomposing body was found on April 15, 2015.

In total, Avalos claimed that he had attempted to murder at least twenty other women who escaped before he could carry out his intentions; however, these claims lacked corroborating evidence.

Arrest and Legal Proceedings

Avalos’s arrest occurred on April 12, 2015, when he was apprehended for sexually assaulting a minor related to Natalie Chavez’s case. Although initially charged with sexual assault rather than murder due to insufficient evidence linking him directly to Chavez’s death at that time, further investigations led to charges for all five murders attributed to him.

He faced capital murder charges but could not receive the death penalty due to his intellectual disability as determined by legal standards following the Supreme Court ruling in Atkins v. Virginia. In November 2016, he was indicted on these charges and ultimately pled guilty in 2019 as part of a plea agreement that resulted in two concurrent life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Current Status

As of now, Johnny Joe Avalos is serving his life sentences at the Preston E. Smith Unit in Lamesa, Texas. His case highlights significant issues surrounding violence against women and the complexities involved when dealing with offenders who have intellectual disabilities within the criminal justice system.

• VIDEO: "The San Antonio Strangler" - Serial Killer Johnny Avalos - Episode 3 | https://youtu.be/to1fsF8QVso

• VIDEO: The San Antonio Strangler: South Texas Crime Stories | https://youtu.be/iCgAISQUvxg

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