Billy Jensen Instagram – This is Juan Vidal. His killer, who I wrote about in Chase Darkness with Me (“El Monte Jack in the Box Killer,” which I helped solved with LASD via tips from geotargeted social media posts) was sentenced this week to life in prison. It took 7 years but it finally happened.
In 2016, Juan was working at a Jack in the Box in El Monte, CA when in a man in a Halloween mask walked into the store, hopped over the counter and shot him. Through tips he was later identified as Louie Herrera.
Juan, the man his mother Mary called “Boo,” was only 25 years old.
From his friend Hector: “Juan was a true friend you could count on to drive out with almost no gas to help you when your car broke down. A guy that would call in sick to take his grandma to the store. A guy that would go on his lunch hour and take his mom food or cigarettes so she could be comfortable. A guy that would loan you his paycheck so that you could buy an old muscle car. A guy that would do anything to spend time with his friends and family. A hard worker that feared no type of job. He was the friend that always called you out when you were wrong or when you were doing something wrong.”
From a friend who wished to remain anonymous: “He loved his cats and his dog Molly. He was also a bit fearless. He would speak up and stand up for himself or friends at any moment. That’s something that was cool about him, how real he was with you. Very transparent. I remember when I would be sad we’d talk more philosophical. One of his deepest thoughts about life was “what lead me here?” Like what was a pivotal decision that lead [me] to this current situation. It makes one hyper aware of how small any choice you make, it still holds the power to shift things in big ways. He didn’t show it, but he was a deep thinker. He showed it more when he was trying to cheer me up.”
Rest In Peace, Juan Vidal.
Pics of Juan, stills from the video surveillance, IDing the mask, his mom Mary at the press conference, the killer ID’ed, Juan’s 1969 Buick Skylark special, which he named Christine. | Posted on 16/Sep/2023 00:41:20
