HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — The man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend's 12-year-old son is now in the Harris County Jail, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Terry Bryan Rivera, 27, is charged with capital murder in the March 4 shooting death of Carlos Fernandez.
Gonzalez said Rivera was captured Monday at the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville while trying to cross back into the US from Mexico. Customs and Border Protection agents used biometric verification, checked federal law enforcement databases and discovered Rivera was wanted in Harris County.
“As spring break traffic begins to pick up, our frontline CBP officers continue to maintain strict vigilance and apprehended a man wanted for capital murder,” Acting Port Director Michael Reyes with Brownsville Port of Entry said.
Some of Rivera's property was also seized, according to the sheriff.
He spent the night in the Cameron County Jail before being brought back to Houston late Tuesday afternoon.
"Glad that we were able to bring him back to Harris County, and hopefully the family will be seeing justice here soon in the legal system," said Tom Gilliland with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
River has been booked and will likely be separated from other inmates.
"He is what we call a high-profile inmate, he will be processed in a different way. His classification will be much more higher," Gilliland said.
Rivera was supposed to make an appearance in probable cause court Tuesday night, but he waived it.
The state asked for no bond. The defense asked for a $50,000 bond. A judge deferred his bond to trial court.
In court, it was revealed that Rivera is a lifelong resident of the Houston area. He is currently unemployed. Prior to his unemployment, he had worked in painting and residential home repairs for about four years
He has no prior felony convictions.
Rivera's next court appearance is set for Wednesday morning.
Monday night, Carlos's family shared a message with KHOU 11 News following the arrest of Rivera saying, "Very happy with the hard work and dedication that was put into capturing him. Thanking everyone involved and the community for the support."
Mother of accused killer also arrested
Meanwhile, Rivera's mother, Alva Cornejo, Will remain behind bars for now. The 51-year-old made her first official court appearance Tuesday morning on a charge of hindering apprehension. Investigators say Cornejo helped her son get out of Harris County after the shooting.
According to prosecutors and HCSO, she met with her son hours after Carlos was killed and he told her what happened. Cornejo initially claimed that she told him to surrender but he took off.
Investigators later found evidence contradicting her story on Cornejo's phone.
"Whenever they reviewed her phone, they found she'd been searching things like, 'How to get to the border of Mexico,' which we know is where Rivera was arrested," Prosecutor Jamie Burro told us.
They also found text messages Cornejo sent someone to ask them to give Rivera a ride, Burro said.
The judge left Cornejo's bond at $25,000. She's also on an ICE immigration hold.
Carlos 'ran to the danger'
The shocking shooting death of Carlos rattled the Cloverleaf community where neighbors are glad Rivera is behind bars
"It's so sad what he did. I just, it's so emotional, like the family just deserves resolution," neighbor Melanie Driscoll told us. "He deserves what he gets."
Carlos was sleeping in the living room and heard a noise so he ran to check on his two younger sisters, who are Rivera's daughters.
"He ran to the danger," Gonzalez said. "He ran to check on his sisters, 6 and 7 years old, to protect them. And in some ways, he did because that bullet could have easily injured one of them."
That's when Rivera filed multiple shots through the bedroom window, killing the little boy, according to HCSO.
The boy's sleeping half-sisters, who are Rivera's daughters, were not hurt. Neither was his mom and another man who was also inside the apartment.
"I don't want everybody to remember Carlos for the senseless tragedy, I want them to remember him for the young man that he was, the protector, the big brother, the big cousin,” Delfino Gonzales, the boy's uncle, told us at his nephew's funeral Monday.
Gonzales said the family is finding strength through the outpouring of love from the community.
"The prayers, the text messages, the phone calls, you guys keeping the story going. I mean, it's just a testament of a community coming together and a city coming together to be there and support, you know, us in this tragic time," Gonzales told us on Sunday.
He described his nephew as a great kid.
"Just very humble, never complained. Every time he was asked to do something, he took care of it. He did it. He was a protector, he always looked after his sisters," he said.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the sheriff's office homicide unit or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).