Searching for Ramón Casiano

Few have heard of Casiano, but the man who killed the 15-year-old Mexican boy at the border went on to attain fame and power

Photo of the Texas-Mexico border along the Rio Grande by Robert Stribley

It all started with the border
And that’s still where it is today
Someone killed Ramón Casiano
And the killer got away

— “Ramon Casiano,” Drive-By Truckers

If you’ve never heard the name Ramón Casiano, you may more likely have heard the name of the man who murdered him.

There’s no photo of Casiano to include with this piece, either, since, near as anyone can tell, no such photo exists. And there’s precious little I could find to tell his life story either.

Harlon Bronson Carter, though? You can find plenty about him.

That’s because the 17-year-old kid, who shot 15-year-old Casiano went on to head the U.S. Border Patrol and eventually the National Rifle Association. He has a Wikipedia page. Casiano does not.

I’d likely never have heard of Casiano, were it not for a song by the Athens, GA band Drive-By Truckers titled, simply, “Ramón Casiano.” Over their signature, southern-fried rock sound, singer and guitarist Mike Cooley offers a neat…