Sins & Survivors: A Las Vegas True Crime Podcast - Do Not Forget Lesly Palacio

Episode Date: March 12, 2024

22-year-old Lesly Palacio vanished after a night out with longtime family friend Erick Rangel-Ibarra. Security footage later revealed chilling evidence that led to a murder investigation, but Erick fled to Mexico, evading justice for years. Let us know what you think about the episodeUpdate! July 27, 2024 - Erick Rangel Ibarra, Lesly's Murderer has been Apprehended in Mexico! We will be adding details as we learn them. Another amazing young woman whose star was on the rise has her life taken by someone in her life. In this week's episode, we remember Lesly Palacio. What do you think the punishment for being an accessory to murder should be? I bet it's more than the accessory in this case got. We'll update you as we know more about Erick Rangel Ibarra's prosecutionhttp://sinspod.co/episode19sources Domestic Violence Resourceshttp://sinspod.co/resourcesClick here to become a member of our Patreon!https://sinspod.co/patreonVisit and join our Patreon now and access our ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus content & schwag!Apple Podcast Subscriptionshttps://sinspod.co/appleWe're now offering premium membership benefits on Apple Podcast Subscriptions! On your mobile deviceLet us know what you think about the episodehttps://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2248640/open_sms Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sins-survivors-a-las-vegas-true-crime-podcast--6173686/support.

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Visit BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. 19 plus to wager. Ontario only. Please gamble responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGamingOntario. To listen ad-free, visit Zinspod.co slash subscribe. Starting at $2.99 a month, you'll also get access to our exclusive bonus content episodes when you join through Patreon or Apple subscriptions. Thanks for supporting the show. Hi, it's Sean.

And John. When we originally recorded and released our episode on Leslie Palacio, her suspected murderer, Eric Rangel-Abarra, was at large and believed to be hiding in Mexico. We continued to share his wanted poster online and at the True Crime Podcast Festival, and to talk about Leslie because we wanted him brought to justice for Leslie's family, friends, and for the entire community of Las Vegas. Thank you to everyone who shared those posters and Leslie's story. We are so excited to be bringing you this update.

On July 27, 2024, at 6 p.m. Pacific Time, David Charnes of Las Vegas 8 News Now broke the story that Eric Rangalibara had been arrested in Mexico. According to an unnamed source, he is currently in custody. According to reporting from Telemundo, Eric was arrested by Interpol in Caritano, Mexico, with the help of local police officers. Caritano is located in central Mexico, about 125 miles or 200 kilometers north of Mexico City. According to a Facebook post from the Municipal Public Security Secretariat of Caritaro, their police collaborated with Interpol to detain and arrest Eric once he was detected in their jurisdiction. The Secretariat's office has said that the police will follow international procedures as the next steps for extraditing Eric back to the United States for prosecution. The Secretariat's office also provided a photo

of Eric being arrested, which we have shared on our social media. While we wait for news about extradition and what charges Eric will face, we want to again share our support for Leslie's family and loved ones, and we hope this brings them some resolution that they've been looking for. They've been waiting four years for him to be located and arrested. This gives us hope for the many other families waiting four years for him to be located and arrested. This gives us hope for the many other families who are waiting for justice, including Tabitha Tazi's family and Tiffany Booth's family. We did not and will not forget Leslie Palacio, and we will continue to follow her case until it is resolved. With that in mind, here is our original episode as recorded

on March 12, 2024. Do not forget Leslie Palacio. By August 29th, 2020, COVID lockdowns were starting to loosen up in places, and I think we can all agree, we were all ready to get out of the house and have some fun. Leslie Palacio had just finished her training to be a phlebotomist and was extra ready to let loose and have a good time. When her longtime family friend Eric Rangel Ibarra called her, as he often did, and asked her if she wanted to go downtown, she agreed to go because why not? She was ready to go and just get out of the house. Ten hours later, she was missing without Hi, and welcome to Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast where we focus on cases that deal with domestic violence. I'm your host, Sean, and with me, as always, is the one and only John.

I am the only John in the room. I know the theme of this season has seemed to be about sisters. This week's case involves four sisters who all love and miss Leslie, and it's heartbreaking that we are about to bring you yet another story where a woman was just about to move into the next phase of her life, her star was on the rise, and someone close to her killed her. Leslie Palacio was born May 5, 1999. Her mother's name is Araceli Palacio, and Leslie is the second oldest of Araceli's five girls. Carolee is the oldest, born in 1997. Then comes Leslie. Kaylee was born in 2006, Nayeli was born in 2004, and Ashley is the youngest, born in 2009. Leslie and her older sister Carolee had always been very

close, but she was also extremely giving, nurturing, and motherly toward her younger sisters. Leslie went to what's called Basic High School, now known as the Basic Academy of International Studies, and graduated in 2017. A bunch of my former students went to Basic High School, so I just want to take a second and say for folks who aren't familiar that the name of the school is basic. It's not an adjective describing the school. John and I are going to talk a little bit about Henderson history and the basic magnesium plant in our bonus content this week. After Leslie graduated from basic, she enrolled in Las Vegas College to become a phlebotomist.

She told her younger sister Callie, It's very fun. I can legally poke people now. One of her instructors in the program commented on how much she loved drawing blood. She finished the program on August 28, 2020. The medical profession took a huge hit during the pandemic, as we all remember. We knew a couple people personally who were nurses who walked away from their profession because it was just too stressful and dangerous with the risk of COVID. So it's pretty amazing and impressive that she chose to run toward the medical profession

at that time. Given what we've read about her, though, it isn't surprising because she was very caring and very nurturing. Whenever we cover a case, we always try to highlight the victim to give a sense of what type of person they were. Too many times the coverage focuses on the perpetrator, and the richness of the victim's life can get lost in the sensational coverage. We mentioned Leslie was very nurturing of her younger sisters, but we wanted to give a few examples. She often cooked for her family, and if she wasn't home to cook for them, she was sure to call them to make sure that they'd eaten. Before the pandemic,

she'd shoo her mother out of the kitchen as she was making dinner after a long day of work. Her mom worked in hospitality for a hotel, so she worked very long hours, and Leslie didn't want her to have to cook after those long shifts. Las Vegas is just about as highly dependent on tourism as you've probably guessed. So when the pandemic hit and all the non-essential businesses closed, a disproportionately high number of people lost their jobs. At the height of the pandemic, unemployment in the Las Vegas area was nearly 34%. 34%!

That means that one in three people were out of work here. It was by far the highest in the nation. It was also the slowest to recover in the nation. Nobody was visiting, nobody was gaming, and nobody was staying in the hotels. Her mother was furloughed along with so many others, and it was Leslie who encouraged her to open a cleaning business as a backup plan and kept reminding her that everything would be okay. Leslie, as the second oldest, was the peacemaker in the family, a common trait among middle children. They're often known to have high levels of empathy and the ability to see both sides.

I have a younger sister, and she's like that too, so I can relate. And I know the fun and the chaos that can come along with a household full of sisters all close in age. Leslie was also into fitness and she would take her sister to the gym or on hikes. And during the pandemic, they exercised together in the backyard. She even taught her mom exercise routines during that time. We've heard it said a few times that she was the joy of the family. As we mentioned before, the Palacios and the Rangalabaras were longtime family friends.

Carolee said they'd been friends for 10 years, and Bianca Garcia, Leslie's cousin, was quoted as saying it was more like 15 years, and pointed out that Eric Rangalabara's mother was Leslie's godmother, so they were very close. Eric Rangalabara is about three years older than Leslie. In December 2018, he was convicted of possession of a dangerous weapon and sentenced to 364 days in the Clark County Detention Center, but his sentence was suspended. Instead, he was given probation using intoxicants, using controlled substances, possessing weapons, moving his place of residence without prior written permission from the court, and associating with anyone convicted of a felony. Remember this because it will be important later. Leslie's younger sister Callie and her mother both commented that they never liked Eric and that he would act really creepily toward Leslie.

Her mom said that he had a darkness, and her sister said that he would stare at her and stalk her. Leslie graduated from her program on August 28, 2020, as we mentioned. Between the successful completion of the program and the fact that the pandemic lockdowns were loosening up at the time, she was extra ready to get out of the house for a celebration. Leslie was texting her friends, trying to find someone to get together with. She got a message from Eric who asked her if she wanted to hang out downtown, and she agreed. Her sister Carolee was not happy about that. Their first stop was the Longhorn Casino on Boulder Highway in Henderson, arriving around 12.20 a.m. They had drinks and ate at the diner in the casino, and later, Detective Gary King would characterize them as drinking heavily.

They left the Longhorn around 2 a.m. after being seen on security footage at 1.56 a.m. Next up was the Putter's Bar and Grill on Charleston and Sloan, which is a small bar and gaming restaurant that's about 15 minutes from the Longhorn Casino. We have a lot of these things in Las Vegas. We've got these pub-like places like P.T.'s, Sammy's, and Apache Joe's, and they're usually bars or bars with limited restaurant or bar menus, with some gaming like video poker and slot machines. They don't have table games or anything like that at these places. They got to Putter's around 2.15 a.m., and it's not really clear when they left. But next, they went to Bourbon Street on Charleston and Nellis around 4.30 a.m. and left around 5.45.

All of these destinations are on the far east side of Las Vegas. Leslie had kept in touch with her sister Carly via text messages throughout the night and into the early morning on August 29th, and at 4.40 a.m. Leslie texted her, I need to talk to you about some shit. To which Carly replied, what happened within a minute of that text coming in? She saw the three dots indicating that Leslie was replying, but that reply never came. By mid-morning, Leslie still hadn't returned home, and her family was starting to get worried. Carolee and her sisters were calling Leslie, but the calls were going straight to voicemail. Between 10 and 11 a.m., Araceli and Carolee headed over to the Rangalabara house to see if they could find out where Leslie was. They knocked on the door, but no one answered. They came back an hour later and saw Eric's mother, remember that's Leslie's godmother, and Eric's sister moving furniture out of the house and

loading it onto a truck. One of the women was wearing rubber gloves, like gloves you'd use for cleaning. According to an interview that Araceli gave when she reached out to Eric's mother trying to find Eric and Leslie, Eric's mom dismissed Araceli with quite an attitude. Araceli paraphrased her as saying, why are you asking about my son? My son is an adult, which is a pretty weird response to someone trying to find their missing daughter who was last seen with that very son. Carolee was told by the police that she had to wait 48 hours to file a missing persons report, which she finally did. But on August 31st, the Rangalabara family also filed a missing person report for both Eric and his father, Jose, who had apparently also gone

missing. The police then began the investigation attempting to track where the two had been, when, and where they might have ended up. Now that they had several missing persons, they were considering this possible foul play. The police attempted to track down surveillance footage in the neighborhood, and luckily they got a break almost immediately. On the 31st of August, they recovered footage from a video camera across the street from the Rangel Ibarra house, where Eric, his father, Jose, and his mother lived. The camera angle is from about two houses away from the Rangel Ibarra house, where Eric, his father, Jose, and his mother lived. The camera angle is from about two houses away from the Rangel Ibarra's,

and luckily the camera angle clearly includes the Rangel Ibarra driveway and the front yard. The Rangel Ibarra home is a two-story, 1,374-square-foot, three-bedroom home located about 15 minutes from the Longhorn Casino on Tipper Avenue, a very narrow street with no street parking to have obstructed the camera's view. The homes in that neighborhood are very close together, only about six feet apart, and they have small single car garages. They don't have much of a front yard, just two feet or so of rocks and a couple of small plants. The front doors of the homes aren't visible when looking at them straight on because they're on the side of the house. That neighbor's camera footage shows Eric's white Ford F-150 pulling up in front of the house

at 6.04 a.m. Eric can be seen getting out of the truck, walking around to the passenger side where he helps Leslie out of the car. She is very unsteady on her feet, and Eric is seen helping her as they walk up to the house. At 6.48am, just 45 minutes later, Eric was seen coming out of the house alone. He tossed something small, about the size of his hand, into the passenger side of the truck, and then he drove off, returning at 7.09am. At 7.24am, Eric can be seen dragging what was determined to be Leslie's body wrapped in a sheet out of the house and across the driveway, being helped by his father, Jose. Together, they put her in the passenger side of the truck, and Jose can be seen forcing the door closed. Eric then sped off. Just a few minutes later, at 7.29am, the camera captured

Jose pulling out a hose and washing off the driveway and the rocks in front of the house. The detective on the case, Gary King, noted that the area being washed was the same path they had dragged the body along. As a result of the surveillance video on September 2nd, search warrants were issued and executed at the Rangalabera house, as well as Eric's sister's apartment. From the descriptions given by detectives, it sounds like the family was in the process of packing up or cleaning out the house. In general, from the photos I've seen, the house looked to be in a state of disarray, with cleaning supplies photographed on various tables or on desks and dressers all around the house, and both full and empty trash bags and other items strewn about, covering the floor and most surfaces of the house, dozens of water bottles, shopping bags, articles of clothing,

and so on. The police observed a pair of blue latex gloves on the couch that were collected as evidence. The gloves were obviously dirty. They also discovered another pair of latex gloves on the dining room table, which were photographed near a bottle of rubbing alcohol. There were five or six full white kitchen trash bags on the floor of the kitchen, filled with various items, which detectives noted appeared to be being used. Discover the magic of BetMGM Casino where the excitement is always on deck. Pull up a seat and check out a wide variety of table games with a

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Please gamble responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGamingOntario as a way to pack up and move items instead of, say, using cardboard moving boxes. They also noticed cleaning supplies were out and around the kitchen, including a bottle of bleach and a mop and what I would call an industrial mop bucket, a large bright yellow bucket on wheels that a custodian would use. The police observed some dark reddish brown staining on one portion of the mop, and it was also collected for testing. Upstairs, they found Eric's bedroom based on the

items in the room, including his wallet with ID and a casino players club card with Eric's name on it. The sheet was missing from his bed, and the police noted drops of blood on the mattress, which were also collected for testing. There was a white button-down shirt hanging on a rack in Eric's bedroom that had what the detective called an apparent blood stain. Those stains were also swabbed and tested. Down the hall, they discovered two more blood stains on the floor of the master bathroom, and on the vanity was a large bottle of bathroom cleaner. There was also an open bottle of ammonia observed in the master bedroom as well, along with a roll of white kitchen trash bags and a pair of false eyelashes. It's not clear from the grand jury testimony if the police collected and tested the eyelashes, but I believe they may have been photographed

and later mentioned by detectives during their testimony because, in the photos we've seen of Leslie, she was wearing false eyelashes. At the time the investigators gave testimony to the grand jury about the search warrant and what was observed, the results of the testing for the mop, gloves, and bloodstains were not available. The detective noted that the labs were short-staffed and had a backlog due to COVID. All of the results from the evidence they collected have not been made public except the blood on the mattress, which was confirmed to be Leslie's. The police started gathering additional evidence and chasing down further leads to find Leslie and to apprehend Eric and Jose. They took a look at Eric's phone records and discovered that he had called a friend from the Valley of Fire area on the morning of August 29th. We're going to call

this friend Daniel since early on in the investigation, he did not want to be identified. Daniel had been a friend of Eric's for five or six years. Early that morning, Daniel got a phone call from a phone number he didn't recognize. He answered the phone and didn't immediately recognize the voice, but confirmed it was Eric. Eric asked Daniel, do you remember how I asked you if you would ever do a favor for me? Some context for that question. During his testimony, Daniel explained that about a month earlier, Eric ran into Daniel at a restaurant while Daniel was on his lunch break. According to Daniel, Eric was drunk. Eric said to Daniel, if I ever need a favor from you, can you do it for me? Daniel thought this was pretty strange, but Eric was drunk. So Daniel

said like, yeah, sure. But when Eric called the morning of the 29th, it was out of the blue that Eric calling about this favor. Daniel must be a good friend because he replied, what's up? What do you need? Eric said he needed Daniel to bring him some gas. Daniel was really confused by this. It's a strange request, so he asked Eric for a reason why. Eric explained that he didn't want to be seen on camera. Daniel was very confused by this, so he kept poking at Eric, trying to figure out what was going on. After Daniel asked him a few times, he finally said that he was in Utah. Eric finally admitted, I killed a B-word, and I can't be seen on video

surveillance buying gas. He used the actual word, but I'm not saying that. Daniel didn't believe Eric, so he told him, you can't be serious, you're messing with me. But Eric repeated it again, and one more time, said, I'm serious, she's dead in the backseat of my truck right now. Of course, Daniel paused because he couldn't believe what Eric was saying. According to Daniel, Eric sounded so calm, but he kept insisting that he was serious and kept pressing him to help him out. Daniel told him, hey man, I'm sorry, I can't help you. I have to go pick up my daughter as an excuse to get off the phone. He also asked, why would you call me and say this? To which Eric replied, it's a burner phone.

And Daniel replied, you fucked up by telling me that. Eric then hung up on him. I'm sure that was pretty traumatizing for Daniel. I honestly can't even imagine getting that call. One of the clues the police had noticed in the neighborhood surveillance video of the front of the Wrangellabara house is that when Eric returned after leaving with what is presumed to be Leslie's body, the tires on his F-150 were all muddy. The police were able to get a license plate capture of Eric's truck's plate near the highway exit heading towards the Valley of Fire National Park.

His truck was also luckily captured on video surveillance at a gas station about 40 miles north of Las Vegas near Moapa and the Valley of Fire exit. The police were able to figure out that Eric had exited the highway at that point and then returned to the highway about 20 minutes later. Investigators estimated he drove for about 10 minutes before he would have stopped and hidden Leslie's body and then turned around. The police used a stopwatch to retrace Eric's steps and to estimate where along that stretch of road Eric may have possibly pulled over. They were still left with a massive search radius of

40 miles. Just as a reminder, the temperatures in the Valley of Fire in early September can be absolutely brutal, and in the full sun of the desert, it can be dangerously hot. The high on September 6th that year was 113 degrees. Luckily, though, the temperatures dropped a bit on September 8th and September 9th when the wind picked up and the temperature was only a high of 81. Las Vegas Metro Police, together with the Moapa Tribal Police and the Red Rock Search and Rescue, searched hundreds of acres across the desert. During the team's second search on September 9th, they were finally able to locate Leslie's body after she had been missing for 12 days. She was off a dirt road in the middle of a wash, partially concealed from the road by a large bush. Leslie was still wrapped in the sheet, just as she had been in the video surveillance. She was not wearing pants, and her underwear had obviously been removed and put back on incorrectly. One of her legs

had been put through the waistband, so around her waist was one of the leg holes. Detective Gary King told the grand jury that he inferred that her underwear had been put on by someone who was unfamiliar with women's underwear. They found a pair of women's jeans located in a bush several feet away that were believed to be Leslie's. Detectives noticed that there were heel drag marks in the dirt, which indicated to detectives that Leslie had been pulled from behind by the arms and the chest and her feet dragged along the desert sand. After being exposed to the elements for 12 days, Leslie's body was badly decomposed. There was no sign of external trauma and the internal autopsy did not reveal any internal trauma either.

The cause and manner of death was ruled undetermined at the time of the grand jury. During the grand jury testimony, the homicide detective Gary King indicated that the results were pending a toxicology report. As of today, there is no update regarding the status of that report or Leslie's cause of death. The FBI was called in to help find Eric and Jose. The police leaned heavily into technology to help them trace where the two may have gone. Eric's Ford F-150 was found at a bus station in Paris, California, and was impounded by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. The Sheriff's Department reported to Las Vegas Metro that Jose and Eric had spent the

night with relatives in Moreno Valley, California, and according to reports, asked those relatives for help in crossing the border into Mexico, but the relatives refused. The police used the Find My Phone feature on an iPad found in the Rangel Ibarra home to locate them, and they could see that Jose's cell phone was in Mexico. The descriptions that follow are based on grand jury testimony that we obtained. On January 19, 2021, Jose Rangel surrendered himself to the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego, California. He waived his Miranda rights and asked to speak to detectives. He claimed that he had heard about the case while he was in Mexico, and that he was wanted in connection with Leslie's disappearance,

so he decided to do the right thing and turn himself in, and he confirmed that his family had known the Palacio family for several years. Jose went on to make false claims, saying that all he remembered was that it looked like Leslie had had an overdose, and provided what the detectives called a watered-down version of his involvement. At that point in the interview, the detectives confronted Jose with the surveillance video that showed him putting Leslie's body in the truck and then hosing off the driveway. And it was then that Jose started telling the detectives a very different version of events. He told them he was up early in the morning in the garage and he heard Eric and a woman who he assumed was Leslie

come home and then go upstairs. Jose stated that 30 minutes later, his son came downstairs shirtless and was, quote, freaking out and dragging Leslie's body wrapped in a bed sheet. His story is that he decided to help Eric because he was concerned that his wife or daughters would see the body and become involved, so he helped put Leslie in Eric's truck. The detectives asked if Leslie appeared injured or if she had blood or vomit on her,

but Jose claimed not to have noticed. But he did say that he noticed she wasn't wearing pants and her underwear appeared to have been pulled up awkwardly. He also claimed that he wasn't cleaning the driveway after Eric left because he was trying to destroy evidence. He said that he didn't really know what to do with himself, and his HOA had recently complained that his yard was dirty, so he decided to start cleaning up while he was standing out there. Jose claimed that he didn't believe that his wife and daughters had cleaned anything up inside the house and that he wasn't involved that his wife and daughters had cleaned anything up inside the house and that he wasn't involved with that at all. He told the police that when Eric had left,

he had believed that Eric was going to Utah to destroy the body. He was surprised that Eric returned later that afternoon and went over to his sister's apartment where Jose was as well. He claimed that Eric was acting very weird, saying he was going to kill himself or kill Jose, and even that people were going to come kill them and their family. Eric's sister Karen confirmed that Eric was acting strangely and seemed in a big hurry to leave. Discover the magic of BetMGM Casino, where the excitement is always on deck. Pull up a seat and check out a wide variety of table games with a live dealer. From roulette to blackjack, watch as a dealer hosts your table game

and live chat with them throughout your experience to feel like you're actually at the casino. The excitement doesn't stop there, with over 3,000 games to choose from, including fan favorites like Cash Eruption, UFC Go Blitz, and more. Make deposits instantly to jump in on the fun and make same-day withdrawals if you win. Download the BetMGM Ontario app today. You don't want to miss out. We'll be right back. Connects Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Jose then decided it would be best for them to get some money and drive together to Southern California and then into Mexico.

During the drive, Jose claimed that Eric said that he thought Leslie might have overdosed on narcotics or had drunk too much. He had also claimed that while he was in Mexico with Eric, they were on a bus together, and when Mexican federales had all the passengers exit the bus, the two of them were separated. Whether that was by choice or due to the circumstances is not clear. On February 12, 2021, a grand jury was convened to review the evidence against Eric and Jose. During those proceedings, the grand jury heard testimony from Leslie's sister, Carly, and Eric's friend, Daniel. They shared the details we discussed earlier.

Three homicide detectives also gave testimony, Gary King, Breck Hodson, and Mitchell Dosh, who testified about the investigation, including the surveillance footage and the evidence uncovered during the search of the Wrangel-Ibarra home. Testimony also covered the search for Leslie's body, the results of the search, and the statements Jose had made to the police. The grand jury viewed the surveillance footage in full and was shown photos of the evidence at the Wrangel-Ibarra home, including the gloves, cleaning supplies, the stained mop, the blood on the shirt and the mattress, and in the bathroom, as well as photos

of Leslie after she was found and the photos from her autopsy. Just a note that we are not sharing any of those photos. Toward the end of the proceedings, the jurors had the opportunity to ask questions, and there were several questions about when the results would be made available from the testing of the physical evidence. One juror asked if Eric was in Mexico, and the district attorney explained that he could not answer that question. He offered to have a detective take the stand again if that was important to the jurors being able to make a decision, but the juror said that it was fine and declined, said they didn't have to do that. And at the end of approximately a 20-minute deliberation, the grand jury returned an indictment against Eric and Jose

for murder, destroying evidence, and accessory to commit murder. In June, Jose pleaded guilty to the charges of destroying evidence and accessory to commit murder. Those are both gross misdemeanors, and he was sentenced to two years in the Clark County Detention Center, which was the maximum penalty under the law. Judge Tiara Jones said, quote, I know from where the family is sitting, suffering a loss that you've suffered, two years doesn't seem like a sufficient punishment for losing your daughter and losing your sister. But from where the court is sitting, my hands are tied. I have to impose a punishment that is allowable under the law as it stands today. That is sitting, my hands are tied. I have to impose a punishment that is allowable under the law as it stands today. That is the only option that I have. And I

understand that you guys feel like the system has failed you. And I understand that nothing that happens here today is going to replace what you lost. Jose served just eight months and 15 days for his involvement in the murder of Leslie Palacio. The Palacio family held a protest over the sentence, and District Attorney Steve Wolfson said his office charged Rangel, quote, with all that we were able to charge him with under Nevada law. He went on saying, we were prepared to go to trial on this case, but Mr. Rangel chose to accept responsibility for his role in this tragedy by pleading guilty to both charges against him. This was not the result of a negotiation or plea deal. Leslie's sister Nayeli said, it hurts that someone can do this to my sister and only get two years.

If you knew Leslie, you would know she didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to have her life taken from her. Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani, who presented the case to the grand jury, said that the Nevada legislature needs to do something about this because dumping a young girl's body and treating her like a piece of trash should not be considered a misdemeanor, and assisting a murderer after he commits such an egregious crime should not be treated as a misdemeanor. During the sentencing, for what it's worth, Jose did apologize to the Palacios, and he said he was regretful and very sorry. He said, I understand their pain, and it hurts me. It hurts my heart, understanding that I failed as a father.

The two beautiful families were destroyed. I recognize my mistake. I feel ashamed that this incident took place and that as a father, I acted the way I did and did not go straight to the authorities when this happened. My love as a father won me over. I was so on the edge, I did not know what to do. That betrayed me. I did not make the right decision. That feels like the understatement of the year. It's clear to me that if Jose really wanted to, he could have come forward with more information about where his son is. It's not too late for him to make this right, and four years is too long for this family to wait.

Leslie's family held a vigil for her at their home on Thursday, September 10, 2020. Her family remembered her for being caring and loving. The instructor in her medical training program was there with several of Leslie's classmates. They brought her scrubs, which Leslie's family placed on a table filled with candles and flowers. Her teacher, Michelle Crawford, said that she had emailed Leslie to schedule her for her final graduation meeting, and Leslie didn't come. Leslie's funeral was live-streamed on Sunday, September 27th due to the COVID pandemic. The Palacio family released a statement saying, we wish everyone could join us for services this weekend for Leslie. Unfortunately,

services will be private due to the capacity restrictions with the pandemic. We can all help the Palacio family with their search for justice because Eric is still out there. Ranglibara is about 28 years old now, 5 feet 6 inches tall, at the time weighed about 173 pounds, and has brown eyes and black hair. He has a tattoo of California on his ear, a tattoo on his chest of a skull, and a tattoo on his left wrist of Dragon Ball Z, and he is likely at large in Mexico. We will share his wanted photo and photos of him, so please be sure to share them. You never know if your share will be the one that leads to his arrest. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts can contact Las Vegas Police at 702-828-3521. Or if you want to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555. Thank you as always for listening and be sure you are

following us on social media at Sins and Survivors so you can share those photos and Eric's wanted poster because what happens here happens everywhere. To be continued... and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Threads at Sins and Survivors. If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice. You can contact us at questions at sinsandsurvivors.com. If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence or needs support, please reach out to local resources or the National Domestic Violence Hotline. A list of resources is available on our website, sinsandsurvivors.com. Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast, is research written and produced by your hosts,

Sean and John. The information shared in this podcast is accurate at the time of recording. If you have questions, concerns, or corrections, please email us. Links to source material for this episode can be found on our website, sinsandsurvivors.com. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast to source material for this episode can be found on our website, sinsandsurvivors.com.