Three men have been apprehended and charged with capital murder following a June shooting at a Garland motel, according to police officials. The deceased man was 48 years old and lived in Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to arrest reports, the three men are being held without bond due to an immigration hold.
Garland Motel Shooting
According to Garland police, officers were dispatched to the parking lot of the Motel 6 in the 12700 block of the LBJ Freeway shortly after 5 a.m. on allegations of a shooting.
Officers came and discovered 48-year-old Santiago Lopez Morales with a gunshot wound. He was sent to the hospital, where he later died.
According to authorities, two of the suspects were involved in another heist earlier that morning, June 20, at a motel in the 3600 block of Leon Road.
According to an arrest affidavit, officers interviewed four witnesses at the site. The four arrived at the motel in the same vehicle as the victim.
According to the affidavit, one of the witnesses had been robbed at another hotel. According to investigators, the woman informed Morales about the event, after which Morales began texting with the suspects and posed as a prostitute. A meeting was scheduled at Motel 6.
Detectives then analyzed surveillance footage. According to the affidavit, there were many video recordings that captured the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to the affidavit, at 4:21 a.m., the pickup enters the motel parking lot and finally backs into a position on the complex’s south side, where it remained for the duration of the incident.
At 4:47 a.m., a Toyota sedan enters the motel parking lot and parks on the east side of the building.
At 4:54 a.m., a gray Acura reversed into a parking space in the Denny’s parking lot.
At 5:03 a.m., the Toyota travels from one parking spot to another while remaining on the complex’s east side.
A Hispanic man (Suspect 1) gets out of the Toyota at 5:07 a.m. and makes his way to the south side of the complex.
Suspect 1 was seen walking in the middle of the complex at 5:09 a.m., holding his phone to his ear.
Suspect 1 enters at 5:09 a.m. and knocks on the door of Room 137. He continues to knock and can be seen using his phone while standing in front of the door for several minutes.
At 5:13 a.m., a man dressed in security guard attire, now identified as Morales, exits the pickup through the front passenger-side door with a revolver in his right hand and approaches Suspect 1, pointing it at him. As Morales approaches the other male, he grabs Suspect 1, and they start wrestling in front of room 139.
Two more men get out of the pickup and approach the wrestlers. They observed a man exiting the passenger side of the Acura (Suspect 2) and throwing pebbles at him.
Suspect 2 pointed a revolver at the two individuals who were hurling rocks at him before approaching Morales and Suspect 1, who were still grappling, and pointing the gun at Morales.
According to the arrest affidavit, the footage shows a muzzle flare before Morales collapses to the ground.
According to the affidavit, Suspect 3 drove the Acura out of the parking place and up to the shooting location.
Suspect 1 and Suspect 2 then rushed into the Acura to escape. The Toyota then backs out of its parking space and follows the Acura out of the complex, according to the affidavit.
As the cars leave the parking lot, Morales “lies motionless on the ground and is seen bleeding profusely.”
The two males tossing rocks dashed out of the camera’s view before returning to the pickup.
The officer reported seeing two girls exit the vehicle, one of whom approached Morales’ body.
Authorities say all witnesses were moving, and one woman was likely calling 911.
At 5:19 a.m., the first officer arrives on the scene and begins giving the victim first assistance.
Detectives interviewed witnesses at the location and tied the shooting to an earlier aggravated robbery in Garland.
Ties to Deluxe Inn Aggravated Robbery
Detectives reviewed surveillance from an aggravated robbery at the Deluxe Inn at 3635 Leon Rd. in Garland about three hours before the shooting at Motel 6.
Detectives said the same Acura and Toyota from the Motel 6 shooting arrived at the Deluxe Inn at approximately 2 a.m.
According to the police report, the victim at the Deluxe Inn reported two Hispanic males hammering on the door. When she answered the door, they forced their way in, brandishing a revolver, pointing it at her head, and ordering her to sit down.
She informed police that the males then pushed her into the toilet, had her strip, attacked her, and stole her earrings, cash, a gold medallion, and the victim’s ID card. They asked her to stay in the bathroom and then left. She informed police she waited 30 minutes before phoning them. She stated that the men who robbed her were the same men shown on surveillance footage from the Motel 6 incident.
Migrant Suspects Identified
Detectives in Garland detained Yosguar Aponte Jimenez (20), Jesus De Nazareth Bellorin-Guzman (23), and Jose Luis Trivino-Cruz (25).
The males revealed to investigators that they would set up meetings with prostitutes in order to steal their money and possessions. Jimenez told authorities that the trio had committed more than 25 crimes. Jimenez informed police that the group targeted prostitutes because they were less likely to denounce them to the authorities.
Trivino-Cruz told police that the trio robbed two other victims prior to the shooting.
Jimenez is charged with capital murder, and his bond has been set at $1,500,000.
Bellorin-Guzman is charged with capital murder and aggravated robbery. His combined bond is set at $2,250,000.
Trivino-Cruz is charged with capital murder, aggravated robbery, and indecent assault. His combined bond is set at $3,255,000.
All three suspects are being held in the Dallas County Jail, with each on an immigration hold.
It is unclear where the three men come from.
The investigation is underway.
Anyone with additional information can contact the Garland Police Department at 972-485-4840.
