Post by Scumhunter on Jun 22, 2015 4:07:42 GMT -5
Fugitive Profile as of June 22nd, 2015: (based on 2010 AMW archive)
Full Name: Jose Luis Dorantes
Sex: Male
Race: Hispanic
Current Age: 26-28
Last Seen: Austin , TX
Other Possible Locations: Mexico. Austin , TX
Who to call if you have information: Based on crime location, our advice is to call Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 1-800-893-TIPS. You can also submit a web tip to them at the following link: www.tipsubmit.com/WebTips.aspx?AgencyID=103
AMW aired the case of fugitive Jose Luis Dorantes on October 9th, 2010. The case was unique for a few reasons. The archive case description below explains why:
Texas Musician's Voice Silenced Way Too Early
In just 25 years, Eric Laufer had accomplished more than many people do in a lifetime. The talented young musician out of Buffalo, N.Y., knew at a young age he was going to grow old with a guitar and a microphone.
After attending Berklee School of Music in Boston, and picking rockabilly as his preferred music genre, Eric and his two best friends/members of the band called the Two Timin' Three -- Jeff Hering and Shane Kiel -- left the East Coast for a city whose music scene attracts singers and songwriters from all over the country: Austin, Texas.
Once in the self-proclaimed live music capital of the world, Eric, Shane and Jeff settled in as roommates in a house. Meanwhile, The Two Timin' Three became a very popular band thanks to Eric's charisma as lead singer and songwriter. The band played at several local pubs, had a loyal following and soon evolved into the Two Timin' Four when they added a drummer.
Brad Fordham is a bassist in Austin and knew Eric personally, describing him as "a good friend and a great talent."
"We didn't get to see Eric around town very much because we have a running joke about Austin musicians that if we see each other a lot, that means none of us are playing," Brad said.
The Two Timin' Four toured Europe and even opened for rock ‘n’ roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis. Though the band eventually split after releasing albums, Eric had plans to continue growing as a musician. He continued taking his talents to several venues, including some in San Antonio.
One night as he rode his motorcycle back to Austin from a weekly San Antonio gig, Eric encountered the unexpected.
Cops: Jose Luis Dorantes Never Stopped
Around 4:20 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2008, and only five minutes away from his house, cops say Eric was struck from behind by an SUV speeding somewhere between 80 and 85 mph. Cops say Eric's body was thrown atop of the hood and was driven for 317 feet before he was dislodged from the car.
According to the medical examiner, the crash was so violent that Eric died instantly, suffering from what’s known as internal decapitation – his skull had separated from his spinal cord.
The impact was so great that the rider-less motorcycle was dragged, pinned upright to the front of the SUV. After the motorcycle was freed from the vehicle, the driver went on another mile before fleeing.
When cops arrived at the scene, Eric was dead on the roadway, 1 mile from his motorcycle. A dark skid mark nearly a mile long helped police put together what happened and link the body to the motorcycle.
But what was probably the biggest break at the confusing scene was the license plate police found wedged between the motorcycle’s body and rear tire. The plate soon produced an address, only half a mile away from the scene. As it turned out, the SUV's owner had not been driving it that fatal night, but a man named Jose Luis Dorantes was.
A Song For Justice
Although the investigation produced a name and a date of birth, cops have nothing else to go on -- not even a photo. It is believed that right after the accident, Dorantes fled. The fact that Dorantes was an illegal immigrant has frustrated Austin police and Eric’s family.
The tight-knit Austin music community kept Eric's memory alive and organized several concerts to honor him. When country singer and songwriter Waylon Payne found out that AMW was trying to help find the musician's killer, he stepped up to the plate as well.
"Anytime a fellow musician or songwriter or entertainer is injured or killed, it hits the community hard,” Waylon said. “And I believe there are penalties for your actions, and we need to find this guy because he took a life. He took a brilliant young man and took that life away."
And although Waylon and Eric didn't know each other, they did have more than a musical connection: Waylon played Jerry Lee Lewis in the movie “Walk The Line,” and Eric’s band opened for Lewis in Europe.
Waylon hopes that airing the piece on AMW will help to find out more about Dorantes and eventually bring him to justice.
"Jose Luis Dorantes, that's who we are looking for,” Waylon said. “Somebody knows him; somebody knows where he is at. So please help us out and give this family some peace.”
Thoughts? Obviously there are a lot of factors working against solving this case. Police don't even have a photo. However, they do have a name, and some hit-and-runs don't even have that. And AMW has solved cases with not a lot to work with before. (J.C. Giles anyone?) Hopefully one day there can still be justice for Eric Laufer.
web.archive.org/web/20101011112945/http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=71394#profile
Admin Note: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
Full Name: Jose Luis Dorantes
Sex: Male
Race: Hispanic
Current Age: 26-28
Last Seen: Austin , TX
Other Possible Locations: Mexico. Austin , TX
Who to call if you have information: Based on crime location, our advice is to call Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 1-800-893-TIPS. You can also submit a web tip to them at the following link: www.tipsubmit.com/WebTips.aspx?AgencyID=103
AMW aired the case of fugitive Jose Luis Dorantes on October 9th, 2010. The case was unique for a few reasons. The archive case description below explains why:
Texas Musician's Voice Silenced Way Too Early
In just 25 years, Eric Laufer had accomplished more than many people do in a lifetime. The talented young musician out of Buffalo, N.Y., knew at a young age he was going to grow old with a guitar and a microphone.
After attending Berklee School of Music in Boston, and picking rockabilly as his preferred music genre, Eric and his two best friends/members of the band called the Two Timin' Three -- Jeff Hering and Shane Kiel -- left the East Coast for a city whose music scene attracts singers and songwriters from all over the country: Austin, Texas.
Once in the self-proclaimed live music capital of the world, Eric, Shane and Jeff settled in as roommates in a house. Meanwhile, The Two Timin' Three became a very popular band thanks to Eric's charisma as lead singer and songwriter. The band played at several local pubs, had a loyal following and soon evolved into the Two Timin' Four when they added a drummer.
Brad Fordham is a bassist in Austin and knew Eric personally, describing him as "a good friend and a great talent."
"We didn't get to see Eric around town very much because we have a running joke about Austin musicians that if we see each other a lot, that means none of us are playing," Brad said.
The Two Timin' Four toured Europe and even opened for rock ‘n’ roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis. Though the band eventually split after releasing albums, Eric had plans to continue growing as a musician. He continued taking his talents to several venues, including some in San Antonio.
One night as he rode his motorcycle back to Austin from a weekly San Antonio gig, Eric encountered the unexpected.
Cops: Jose Luis Dorantes Never Stopped
Around 4:20 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2008, and only five minutes away from his house, cops say Eric was struck from behind by an SUV speeding somewhere between 80 and 85 mph. Cops say Eric's body was thrown atop of the hood and was driven for 317 feet before he was dislodged from the car.
According to the medical examiner, the crash was so violent that Eric died instantly, suffering from what’s known as internal decapitation – his skull had separated from his spinal cord.
The impact was so great that the rider-less motorcycle was dragged, pinned upright to the front of the SUV. After the motorcycle was freed from the vehicle, the driver went on another mile before fleeing.
When cops arrived at the scene, Eric was dead on the roadway, 1 mile from his motorcycle. A dark skid mark nearly a mile long helped police put together what happened and link the body to the motorcycle.
But what was probably the biggest break at the confusing scene was the license plate police found wedged between the motorcycle’s body and rear tire. The plate soon produced an address, only half a mile away from the scene. As it turned out, the SUV's owner had not been driving it that fatal night, but a man named Jose Luis Dorantes was.
A Song For Justice
Although the investigation produced a name and a date of birth, cops have nothing else to go on -- not even a photo. It is believed that right after the accident, Dorantes fled. The fact that Dorantes was an illegal immigrant has frustrated Austin police and Eric’s family.
The tight-knit Austin music community kept Eric's memory alive and organized several concerts to honor him. When country singer and songwriter Waylon Payne found out that AMW was trying to help find the musician's killer, he stepped up to the plate as well.
"Anytime a fellow musician or songwriter or entertainer is injured or killed, it hits the community hard,” Waylon said. “And I believe there are penalties for your actions, and we need to find this guy because he took a life. He took a brilliant young man and took that life away."
And although Waylon and Eric didn't know each other, they did have more than a musical connection: Waylon played Jerry Lee Lewis in the movie “Walk The Line,” and Eric’s band opened for Lewis in Europe.
Waylon hopes that airing the piece on AMW will help to find out more about Dorantes and eventually bring him to justice.
"Jose Luis Dorantes, that's who we are looking for,” Waylon said. “Somebody knows him; somebody knows where he is at. So please help us out and give this family some peace.”
Thoughts? Obviously there are a lot of factors working against solving this case. Police don't even have a photo. However, they do have a name, and some hit-and-runs don't even have that. And AMW has solved cases with not a lot to work with before. (J.C. Giles anyone?) Hopefully one day there can still be justice for Eric Laufer.
web.archive.org/web/20101011112945/http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=71394#profile
Admin Note: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form