Limelight – an intense white light created by heating a cylinder of quicklime, used for dramatic effect in 19th century theater.

As an actor and producer, Coral Springs resident Joseph Velez, 57, never expected that one day his own family would be the focus of such an unforgiving glare.

With film credits ranging from Robert De Niro’s 2019 “The Irishman” to the
2010 locally filmed A&E TV series “TheGlades” to the hit Netflix show “Stranger Things,” Velez was used to seeing himself on-screen playing fictional roles.

But in a kind of twisted triple indemnity motivated by insurance fraud, Velez found himself in the middle of three very real deaths — one his own mother — all allegedly plotted by his half-brother.

They were deaths with a gun, a plastic bag, and the killer’s own two hands. They were deaths with a common motive — insurance money. They were deaths of people all known by the suspect, the half-brother, who is now serving a life sentence, but only for one of the killings, that of his own 15-month-old son, Prince.

Velez, a former Marine who served three tours in Afghanistan during Operation Desert Storm, is writing a book and producing and hosting a podcast about the cases.

The story unfolds over the span of a decade, beginning on Mar. 19, 2003, when a young mother, Shawn Katrina Mason, was shot and killed in her Manassas, (Prince William County) VA., condominium.

Five years later, in Nov. 2008, an older woman, Alma Rosa Collins, also of Prince William County, was found dead with a plastic bag over her head. The death was ruled a suicide but Velez doesn’t believe it.

Alma Rosa Collins was his mother.

Police had one person in custody after the killing of Mason, the half-brother of Velez, Joaquin Rams, born as John Anthony Ramirez. He was released for lack of evidence.

Prince Elias McCleod Rams was found dead in Manassas in October 2012, at the home of his father Joaquin. Rams and the boy’s mother, Hera McCleod, were divorced and a court had granted Rams unsupervised visits.

Rams was Mason’s ex-boyfriend. He was the son of the second victim and the father of the third. It was later learned Rams had life insurance policies with his name as the beneficiary of all three of the victims.

Hera McCleod, now an activist for children’s rights in Seattle, wrote in a
blog, “Trusting the Virginia police ended up being one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Instead of helping to keep my family safe, they helped my abuser.”

It’s inconceivable to Velez that authorities ruled his mom’s death a suicide. Velez and his mother’s sister, Elva Carabello, strongly dispute the finding.

In the death of Collins, Rams collected insurance of more than $150,000. He had taken out three policies totaling half-a-million dollars on his then, new-born son, and was receiving Social Security benefits from the death of Mason, the mother of his first son, Joaquin, Jr.

Rams, now 48, was arrested in 2013 for the murder of his son, Prince. After a 12-day bench trial, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He is serving time in the Red Onion State Prison, a supermax facility in Virginia. Authorities are taking another look at the other two deaths.

For Velez, writing a book and producing the podcasts has been a journey tougher than his three tours in Afghanistan.

The book is titled, “Shadows Of My Soul – Objects in the Mirror are Closer Than They Appear.” The podcast for iHeart Radio, Spotify, and Apple iTunes is called “The C.O.D.E. (Cause of Death Explained) of Silence.”

Velez also founded The B.A.R.E. Project (Butterflies/Angels/ Rescue/Echo) to honor his mother, Alma Rosa Collins, Mason, and Prince McLeod.

“We must honor them and the countless other innocent lives that have been taken that never had a chance to speak out for help,” he says.

Visit Shadows of My Soul on Facebook to stay up-to-date on the latest news. The book will be available on Amazon.com. The podcast, “The C.O.D.E. (Cause of Death Explained) of Silence” will be available on iHeart Radio, Spotify, Apple iTunes, and other streaming services.