Woman accused of hiding suspected gunman who killed 5 in Texas arrested, sheriff says
Authorities on Wednesday arrested a woman accused of hiding Man who allegedly fatally shot five people in rural Texas.
Divimara Lamar Nava, 53, was arrested early Wednesday after being accused of hiding suspected gunman Francisco Oropeza, 38, at a home near Conroe, Texas where he was found, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff. Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson described Nava as Oropeza’s wife and said she previously denied knowing where Oropeza was.
Online jail records show she is being held at the Montgomery County Jail on $250,000 bail on charges of obstructing the capture or prosecution of a known criminal. The same records indicate that Nava is not married, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office did not release information about Nava’s relationship with Oropeza when reached by USA TODAY.
Domingo Castilla, a “friend” of Oropeza, was also arrested Tuesday in the neighborhood where the shooting occurred, San Jacinto District Attorney Todd Dillon said. Castilla was arrested for possession of marijuana, but Dillon said authorities expect to charge him with other crimes, including obstructing Oropeza’s arrest.
“Several other arrests” were made, Chief Deputy Tim Kean of the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office said at a news conference Wednesday, adding that he “can’t go into detail about them.” Kean said fewer than five other people were arrested.
Previous Reporting The gunman who killed 5 neighbors in a Texas home is caught after a manhunt
The arrests come after Oropeza, 38, was found under a pile of laundry in a closet about 20 miles from the crime scene, which was in the Texas city of Cleveland, about 45 miles outside of Houston.
Oropeza’s arrest followed a four-day search involving hundreds of law enforcement officials from local and state agencies.
The authorities have not released any further information about the further arrests.
Shooting in rural Texas kills 5 including 9-year-old
Police said Oropeza fired shots in his backyard late Friday night when a neighbor asked him to fire further away because a baby was trying to sleep. Wilson Garcia, the 1-month-old baby’s father, said he called the police after Oropeza refused.
About 10 to 20 minutes later, Oropeza came to the house and started shooting, authorities said.
Garcia’s 25-year-old wife, Sonia Argentina Guzman, and 9-year-old son, Daniel Enrique Laso, were killed, along with Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julia Molina Rivera, 31; and Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18. Two of the victims were shot dead while shielding Garcia’s baby and two-year-old daughter.
“Everyone who was shot was shot from the neck up, almost execution style,” said San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers.
FBI tip leads authorities to Oropeza after four-day search
Oropeza was arrested in Montgomery County, Texas, after authorities received a tip on his whereabouts via the FBI’s tipline.
This came after a four-day search involving hundreds of officers, drones and sniffer dogs. Authorities offered an $80,000 reward for tips that led to an arrest.
Authorities spotted Oropeza Monday in Montgomery County, where the sighting led to the closure of several schools, Kean said Wednesday. Oropeza was able to evade authorities by running away on foot.
Police officers later found Oropeza at the home near Conroe, which Kean said had a personal connection to the suspect. Oropeza easily resisted arrest and was not injured, Kean said.
Oropeza was charged with five counts of murder and sent to the San Jacinto County Jail, where he is being held on $5 million bail. Mexican Oropeza has been deported four times since 2009.
The Houston FBI office said it was writing the suspect’s last name as “Oropesa” instead of “Oropeza” to “better reflect his identity in law enforcement systems.”
Contribution: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas shooting updates: Woman arrested for allegedly hiding suspect