Juan Carlos “Juice” Ortiz is the technical brains of SAMCRO in Sons of Anarchy but his need to protect himself eventually results in his death. Juice is younger than most members of SAMCRO and is one of the more naive. He does not seem to have much in the way of street smarts and is roundly overlooked for larger roles in the organization. However, Juice is a very talented hacker and is useful to the organization for his computer skills. He is one of the major characters on the show and his loyalty to himself, Clay, and Jax defines his arc.
Juice is eventually compelled to turn on SAMCRO. A secret from his past threatens to unravel his whole life, and Juice gets worse in Sons of Anarchy as he begins working with the police but tries to protect his gang at the same time. Jax finds out about Juice’s duplicity and leverages what he knows to his advantage. Once allies, Jax blackmails Juice into doing his bidding, and Juice, wanting to atone, is happy to do whatever it takes to make up for his crimes. In order to pay his debt, Jax sends Juice to prison in order to kill Henry Lin and find out who flipped on SAMCRO.
Ron Tully Kills Juice In Prison
After Tara’s death in Sons of Anarchy season 6, Jax is grief-stricken and gets Juice to go to prison in order to kill the man he thinks is responsible. Juice’s guilt is so heavy, he’s more than willing to do Jax’s bidding. In prison, Juice solicits the help of an Aryan Brotherhood leader, Ron Tully played by Marilyn Manson, to get a weapon and alone time with Lin. After Juice kills Lin, he comes clean to Jax about everything and Jax is thankful for his honesty in their last meeting. However, the Triads coerce Juice into attempting to kill Tully, implying that they will murder him if he doesn’t.
Juice knows that killing Tully would harm SAMCRO prison relationships but not doing so would be a death sentence. Juice’s problems all-stemmed from being unwilling to take responsibility for his mistakes and prizing his life above others. This time, Juice asks that Tully kill him after letting him finish his pie. Tully obliges and tells Juice he died a good man, stabbing him in the neck with a scalpel in season 7, episode 12 “Red Rose”, the episode of Sons of Anarchy with the most deaths of main characters. His final moments see him taking control of his fate and deciding to help SAMCRO the only way he can.
Juice Should Have Come Clean To SAMCRO Earlier
The whole impetus for Juice’s problems comes from the revelation that Juice’s father is Black, and an old club rules say that Black members are not allowed in SAMCRO. US Attorney Lincoln Potter discovers this and uses it to coerce Juice into flipping. However, when Juice tells Chibs and Jax about his heritage, neither seems concerned. But by this time, the damage Juice has done to hide the truth has created too many problems. It’s a dark end for the character in Sons of Anarchy. Had he only trusted the very same people he claimed to love and respect, he likely would have lived.