A Mexican national suspected of killing five neighbors in southeast Texas after one of them asked him to stop shooting his rifle because a baby was trying to sleep, was indicted Friday for capital murder of multiple people.
Francisco Oropeza, 38, a Mexican national, had been deported several times prior to the deadly Cleveland, Texas, attack back in April.
The capital murder indictment is an addition to the five counts of murder Oropeza was indicted on in May.
TEXAS SHOOTING: SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING 5 NEIGHBORS AFTER REQUEST TO STOP FIRING RIFLE
Francisco Oropesa, 39, a Mexican national, is suspected of killing five people near Cleveland, Texas, Friday, April 28, 2023. (Fox News)
San Jacinto County District Attorney Todd Dillon told the Associated Press it is a little too early to decide whether they will seek the death penalty against the suspect.
Oropeza’s attorney, Anthony Osso, said his client will plead not guilty, adding that his team expected the capital indictment.
Oropesa is accused of using an AR-15 to kill four adults — Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; and Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18 — as well as one child, 9-year-old Daniel Enrique Laso Guzman.
TEXAS WOMAN ALLEGEDLY SHOOTS UP REHAB CENTER WHILE LOOKING FOR HER EX: POLICE
Law enforcement authorities responded to a scene where five people were shot the night before Saturday, April 29, 2023, in Cleveland, TX. Authorities say an 8-year-old child was among five people killed in a shooting at the home in southeast Texas late Friday night. ((Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via AP))
The suspect fled the neighborhood after the shooting, sparking a manhunt that came up dry for days, despite over 250 officers, drones and scent tracking dogs searching, and an $80,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Oropeza.
After a five-day manhunt, U.S. Marshals, Texas Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Border Patrol’s BORTAC team apprehended Oropeza without incident on May 3.
He was found hiding under a pile of laundry in the closet of a home about 20 miles from where the shooting took place.
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In addition to the arrest of Oropeza, the suspect’s domestic partner and a friend were also charged with hindering the apprehension or prosecution of a known felon.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
