Successful Case Investigations
- Cole led the investigation of a robbery case that resulted in the arrest and conviction of two defendants. The defendants had the victim drive to a remote area where they beat and robbed him before dumping him back into the downtown area. The victim did not know his attackers nor where the attack occurred. In-depth interviewing techniques helped the victim recall small but significant details that Cole was able to use to locate the robbery scene. He found evidence at the scene that supported the victim’s statements. His investigation found a witness who was able to provide the names of the defendants, who were then identified by the victim. Cole, within hours of the crime, located one of the defendants inside a local establishment. The defendant was found in possession of a firearm that was stolen from the victim. Both defendants were sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
- Cole was recognized by the District Attorney’s Office for a thorough and professional investigation that resulted in the conviction of a defendant charged in a Burglary with an intent to commit Rape. Cole mentored a fellow officer during this investigation and is proud of the fact that this same officer would later become the Assistant Director of the State Bureau of Investigation.
- Cole conducted his first Homicide investigation in 1987, which resulted in the defendant’s conviction. The case was unremarkable from an investigative standpoint, but Cole learned in this case to ignore and to work through influences that attempt to jeopardize thorough and professional investigations. He refused to accept a lower investigative standard that was being pursued by his Lieutenant at that time. The consequences of that Lieutenant’s lower standards became incredibly clear a few years later, as was detailed in a December 1993 ABA Journal Article by Richard L. Fricker, titled “Reasonable Doubts.”
- On January 16, 1995, Cole was assigned to assist in the Capital Murder investigation of SAPD Officer Fabian Dominguez. It seemed apparent that Officer Dominguez interrupted a burglary at the residence where he was slain. Since the homeowners were out of town that weekend, the investigation theorized that the suspects somehow knew the home would be empty. The homeowner’s daughter was identified as a student at John Marshall High School. Cole began a search for the daughter’s friends and tracked one down at a nearby restaurant. During Cole’s interview, he discovered that this friend had no knowledge surrounding the crime, but she knew associates and was the first to identify Johnathan Moore as a probable suspect. The next day Cole was assigned to locate Paul Cameron for interview. He was reported to be staying in an apartment complex on the Northwest side. Surveillance had previously been established on Moore and the attempts to contact Cameron continued to be thwarted as Moore circled around the apartment complex. Shortly after, Moore fled from officers after committing a traffic violation. He was taken into custody following a high-speed pursuit that ended near Pipe Creek, Texas. Cole was the homicide detective at this scene where Moore was pointed out to him by the officers and where his girlfriend, Meredith Nichols, was pointed out as being a passenger in the vehicle. During the interview with Nichols, she admitted her knowledge of the crime, even accompanying Moore, Paul Cameron and Pete Dowdle as they disposed of the stolen property at a location near this arrest scene. Nichols would lead Cole down a nearby path where the murder weapon, officer weapon and stolen property were recovered. The written statement Cole obtained from Nichols was instrumental in the successful prosecution of the case. Johnathan Moore was executed for this crime on January 17, 2007.
- A week after the Fabian Dominguez case, on January 23, 1995, Cole was assigned as lead detective into the homicide of Margaret Michael. Michael was shot to death at grocery store parking lot in the Valley Hi Mall. The suspect apparently killed her to access her car, which he did steal, running over her as he fled. Jacobo Soto developed quickly as a person of interest and several witnesses were named but they left the scene and could not be immediately located for interviews. It was later learned that the witnesses were hiding in fear of Soto. Cole and his partner searched for Soto into the early morning without success, but later that same morning the witnesses were located, and Soto’s location was discovered. Surveillance was established on him at a Westside apartment complex. During these witness interviews, probable cause was established to believe Jacobo Soto committed the Capital Murder of Margaret Michael. A warrant for the arrest of Soto was obtained and SAPD SWAT was assigned to effect the arrest. Cole met with the members of SWAT near the suspected apartment and stood by as they made entry. When SWAT entered the apartment, Soto grabbed a revolver. He was shot and killed by SWAT members as he pointed the gun at them. Subsequent testing located Michael’s blood inside the barrel of the revolver and ballistics confirmed that the revolver was the murder weapon. Had Soto survived, he would have been charged with the Capital Murder of Margaret Michael and the Attempted Capital Murder of SWAT Officer Harry Gonzales.
- Cole completed the year 1995 by leading the investigations into another three Capital Murders, four Murders, one Murder with three additional surviving gunshot victims, and three different Attempted Murder cases. Of these cases, only the double murder of Gilbert Ramos and Bonnie Sanders, who were killed in the 2300 block of Dan Court on July 16, 1995, remains unsolved. Anyone with information about their murders should contact the San Antonio Police Department Homicide Office.
- In February of 1996, Cole led the investigation into the homicide of Miguel R. Luna Jr. His investigation established probable cause to believe Joseph C. Garcia committed the murder and Cole obtained a warrant for Garcia’s arrest. Garcia refused to speak after his arrest, but he was successfully prosecuted and sentenced to prison. Unfortunately, on December 13, 2000, Garcia along with six other inmates, escaped from the John G. Connally Unit near Kenedy, Texas. They would become known as the “Texas 7”, then on December 24th, they murdered Irving Police Officer Aubrey Hawkins during a robbery. Garcia was executed for that crime on December 4, 2018.
- In 2001, Cole was transferred to the SAPD Internal Affairs Unit where he conducted confidential investigations into police misconduct allegations, some involving high-ranking police officials and other high-profile and complex incidents. These examples were widely publicized in local media outlets. The details of these investigations remain confidential.
- The administrative review of the investigation and circumstances surrounding the shootings at a local restaurant that killed one perpetrator and left four officers injured.
- The investigation of alleged police misconduct in the handling of an assault case involving a local TV reporter and her boyfriend, who was a councilman and former SAPD officer.
- The investigation into the conduct of an Assistant Police Chief after bloody towels were found in a local motel room rented by that official.
- The investigation into the conduct of a Deputy Police Chief alleged to have engaged in the services of a prostitute.
- Cole was recruited by the Commander of the Major Crimes Section to return to the Homicide Unit as a Murder Sergeant in late 2008. With this move he supervised an elite team of murder detectives, the Cold Case Murder Squad and the Officer Involved Shooting Team.
- His involvement in some significant cases includes:
- Supervised the high-profile murder investigation of Dana Clair Edwards that resulted in the successful prosecution of her former boyfriend, Jon Thomas Ford. Ford received a 40-year prison sentence.
- Coordination and organization of a landfill search in connection with “Baby Gabriel” Johnson case, eliminating this as a possible location where the child may have been placed.
- Supervised the investigation and participated in the interrogation of Glen Leon Dukes in connection with the capital murder of Jacqueline Johnson. Dukes was convicted and sentenced to two life sentences on human trafficking charges before being convicted in the capital murder case. He is serving a life without parole sentence with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
- Coordinated with the FBI in the investigations connected to Mexican Mafia Lieutenant of Lieutenants, Ruben “Menace” Reyes, who, over a two-week period, was interviewed in the SAPD Homicide Office. Cole interviewed and coordinated the interviews of Reyes who ultimately confessed his involvement in over 50 homicide cases.
- Cole coordinated the SAPD Shooting Teams response and investigation into the Capital Murder of SAPD Officer Robert Decker. Cole was the on-scene shooting team supervisor when the killers, Shaun Puente and Genevieve Ramos were captured. He coordinated their interrogations with the SAPD shooting team members and Texas Rangers.
- Supervised the murder investigation of 15-year-old Natalie Chavez after her body was discovered nude under the Vera Cruz Street bridge. It was later learned that Chavez was one of several victims of serial killer Johnny Joe Avalos.
About Jim Cole
Licensed Private Investigator Jim Cole opened J‧Cole Investigations, PLLC, after dedicating 39 years to public service in law enforcement. A decorated and highly trained officer, his experiences include assignments in high-priority units as a Homicide Murder Detective, an Internal Affairs Sergeant and Homicide Murder Sergeant for the San Antonio Police Department, an organization employing over 1,500 officers.
Cole honorably retired from SAPD after 26 years, but he also served other communities as a Detective, Criminal Investigation Division Commander (Lieutenant) where he also conducted employment background investigations, a Captain that oversaw the Investigations Division, and finally as a Chief of Police.