Joe Saenz

Jose Luis Saenz, known as Joe Saenz, is an American gangster and former fugitive charged with four murders, rape, kidnapping, parole violation and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. On October 19, 2009, he was named by the FBI as the 492nd fugitive to be placed on the list of FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. On November 22, 2012, he was found and arrested in Guadalajara, Mexico by the Federal Police.

Early life and education Saenz was born in Los Angeles, to a Maravilla gang member Mexican father and a Mexican mother who had substance abuse problems. An only child, he lived most of childhood with his grandmother in a small backyard bungalow on Ferris Avenue. He spent much of his time with his cousins at the Pico-Aliso housing projects.

Saenz attended high school in Los Angeles Unified School District, but dropped out. Before the murders in 1998, the Saenz family had been evicted for an unspecified violation.

Criminal charges

1998: Double murder in Aliso Village Saenz, known by his nickname "Smiley" and fellow Cuatro Flats gang member Juan Pena Saenz allegedly shot and killed the unarmed

Ponce was shot in the chest, thigh and back and Hernandez was shot three times in the head. Hernandez has been speculated to have been murdered because she knew about Saenz's crimes.

Saenz managed to elude authorities for over 14 years. Investigators revealed that after initially fleeing to Mexico, he continued to stay on the move, using as many as twenty aliases and moving throughout Mexico, Central America, the United States, and Canada. Upon being deported, Saenz bragged about his time on the run and claimed to authorities that he had attended Los Angeles Lakers basketball games while on the run.