FARMERS BRANCH, Texas — Three capital murder suspects linked to a Venezuelan street gang have been arrested in connection with an abduction and murder in Dallas County two months ago, according to the Farmers Branch Police Department.
Ehiker Alexander Morales Mendoza, 38; Carlos Luis Zambrano Bolivar, 25; and Jhonata Nahin Toro Gonzalez, 22, have been charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in connection with the death of 33-year-old Nilzuly Arneaud Petit.
All three suspects were arrested in other states and are waiting for extradition to Texas, the Farmers Branch PD said in a news release Monday. Mendoza was found in Las Cruces, New Mexico, while Bolivar and Gonzalez were in Aurora, Colorado.
A fourth suspect, 29-year-old Jhonny Jesus Martinez Serrano, remains at large, police said.
Petit was found dead around 3:40 a.m. on Aug. 24 in the roadway in the 1100 block of Valley View Lane in Farmers Branch. According to police Petit was found with a single gunshot wound to the head.
Investigators learned that Petit and the juveniles were forcibly taken three hours earlier, around 12:30 a.m., from an apartment complex on Fair Oaks Crossing in Dallas.
After killing Petit, the suspects left the area with the juveniles, who were later found by Lewisville police officers unharmed and walking along the Interstate 35-E service road.
Petit was involved in an ATM theft operation, and the suspects accused him of withholding stolen money, which led to the alleged kidnapping and killing, Farmers Branch PD said.
"The suspects confronted Petit and demanded payment, which he was unwilling or unable to provide," the department said in a news release.
Farmers Branch police also said they believe the suspects and Petit were affiliated with the Venezuelan street gang known as Tren de Aragua. There have been incidents and multiple arrests tied to the gang.
In September, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a proclamation declaring Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization and directed Texas DPS to create strike teams targeting the gang.
The Farmers Branch Police Department is asking anyone who may have information about Serrano’s whereabouts to call police.
