Houston
Houston: Murdered Gay Man's Mother Braces For Killers' Release
By Troy Espera

Jan 6, 2007

Paul Broussard

Two men in prison for the vicious 1991 murder of Houston gay man will soon be paroled, and that has the victim’s mother worried.   

Nancy Rodriguez’ son Paul Broussard, 27, was brutally gang beaten and stabbed outside a nightclub in 1991. The hate crime shocked the city's gay and lesbian community and underscored the vulnerability of sexual minorities to such attacks.   

According to the Houston Chronicle, Rodriguez has asked authorities for the inmates' current photos "just so if they come to my front door I'll be able to recognize them."   

"To be honest with you," Rodriguez said Thursday to the Chronicle, "I fear for the safety of my family."   

Neighborhood cooperation with police ultimately led to the arrest and conviction of 10 suburban teenagers, the so-called "Woodlands 10." Broussard and his companions were assaulted early July 4, 1991. Only Broussard was badly hurt. He died later.   

Two of the killers, Jaime Aguirre, 34, and his brother, Javier Aguirre, 32 — sentenced to 15 years in prison for the murder — are scheduled to be released on parole this month. Both are Mexican nationals and are to be deported to Mexico, although supporters hope to block that action, reports the Chronicle.   

A third killer in the case, Leandro Ramirez, 32, is scheduled to be paroled in March.   

After Ramirez's release, only Jon Buice, the convicted knife man who was sentenced to 45 years, will remain in prison. Buice's next parole hearing is set for October.   

Michelle Lyons, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, told the Associated Press that Rodriguez will be given the photos she requested.   

"We release such photos all the time," she said to the AP   

Rodriguez, who now lives in Georgia, has testified at numerous parole hearings in efforts to keep Broussard's attackers in prison.   

Andy Kahan, crime victim advocate for the mayor's office, told the AP that the Aguirres had been kept in prison as long as possible.   

"They were sentenced to 15 years, and they've just about maxed out their time — same with Ramirez," he told the AP.   

Gay prison activist Ray Hill said he is trying to stop the Aguirres' deportation.   

I know them and I've come to learn that they are not homophobic," Hill said to the AP. "I am a gay man; they are friends of mine."   

Homophobic or not, Broussard's mother told the Houston Chronicle that none has made an attempt to apologize for the brutal killing.   

The Aguirres' mother corresponded with Rodriguez for a time but did little but quote from the Bible.   

"That's all she ever went into," she said to the Chronicle. "She didn't even say she was sorry. I finally told victims' services (at the prison) that I didn't want any more letters. "