Breitbart Texas has exclusively confirmed that a man who confessed to murdering his wife with a hammer in Laredo, Texas is a four-time deported illegal immigrant who would not have been in the U.S. had he not been able to illegally cross back into the country multiple times from Mexico after his deportations. In addition, the Laredo Police Department continuously encountered the man in violent episodes with his wife, yet did not notify Border Patrol, according to federal agents who spoke with Breitbart Texas on the condition of anonymity.

Several federal agents who work under the umbrella of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spoke with Breitbart Texas on the condition of anonymity and identified the man as an illegal alien who had been deported on four previous occasions but continued to enter the U.S. illegally.

The Laredo Police Department admitted that this was the third violent encounter they had with the illegal immigrant and his wife. According to the federal agents who spoke with Breitbart Texas, the Laredo police did not notify Border Patrol that they were encountering a violent illegal immigrant. One federal agent told Breitbart Texas, “If the Laredo PD had notified Border Patrol, this woman would still be alive today. She is dead because officers of the Laredo PD failed to notify Border Patrol. Whether or not to notify Border Patrol agents is at the discretion of the individual police officer responding to the call. These officers chose not to call Border Patrol and a woman is dead now.”

The illegal immigrant is named Juan Francisco De Luna Vasquez. He is currently in police custody. The victim, Angelica Martinez, was married to Vasquez and was reportedly killed with a hammer. Local news station KGNS reported Laredo Police Officer Albert Escobedo as saying, “At the same time, officers discovered a written note apologizing to his mother for what he had done. Upon the arrest of the individual, he was taken to the police department. He was interviewed and he did confess to the crime.”

In April of this year, Laredo Police Department Spokesman Joe Baeza spoke with KGNS on the issue of his police department not reporting illegal immigrants involved in crimes to the Border Patrol. In that instance, Baeza stated, “It’s going to wedge a bigger divide between the citizenry that we serve. And the majority of the citizenry that we have here is obviously a hispanic population. But a lot of that population are people who are here illegally. But they need our help also.” KGNS reported Baeza’s words further, “Laredo police spokesperson Joe Baeza says that would run against their standing custom of leaving immigration matters to federal officers. He says it could have a chilling effect with issues of domestic issues like if someone needs to report a crime at home.”

However, in this instance, the Laredo Police Department’s effort to avoid a “chilling effect” on the reporting of domestic issues seems to have played a role in the death of a woman on U.S. soil whom they were tasked with protecting.

Follow Breitbart Texas Managing Director Brandon Darby on Twitter: @brandondarby