Man linked to Mexican cartel arrested in case of Southlake killing in 2013
A man suspected of having links to a Mexican drug cartel has been arrested in Mexico in connection with the slaying of a drug cartel attorney in Southlake in 2013, according to Mexican authorities.
Ramon Villareal was arrested without incident on Wednesday in Monterrey in northern Mexico, according to a news release from the Procuraduria General De La Republica (PGR), the Mexican federal law enforcement agency.
He's suspected of being connected to the slaying of Juan Jesus Guerrero-Chapa, the former personal attorney for the one-time head of the Gulf Cartel, in Southlake Town Square in 2013.
Authorities said the killing was a hit ordered by Rodolfo Villareal, also known as "El Gato," who supposedly believed Guerrero was responsible for his father's murder. It's not clear what relation Ramon Villareal is to Rodolfo Villareal, but Mexican media outlets identified Ramon Villareal as a financial leader in the Beltran Leyva cartel. Rodolfo was a "plaza boss" in the cartel.
The Southlake Department of Public Safety referred all questions about the case to the U.S. attorney's office in North Texas, which had no immediate comment. The FBI office in Dallas did not reply to a request for comment.
Ramon Villareal is being detained in Mexico City and is subject to extradition to North Texas, the PGR said.
Guerrero had gone out for ice cream with his wife at Southlake Town Square on May 22, 2013, when a Toyota Sequoia pulled up behind their Range Rover. A man got out of the truck, walked up to Guerrero as he sat in the passenger seat of his vehicle and repeatedly shot him.
He died near the fountain and gazebo.
His wife, Julia Tijerina de la Garza, testified in court nearly three years later that Guerrero had lived in fear for more than two years, hiding his family in a gated community and often staying at nearby hotels.
He'd gotten two phone calls, one in spring of 2011 and another in February 2013, informing him that "they had found him, they knew where he lived and they wanted to kill him," Tijerina testified.
This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.
This story was originally published May 24, 2018 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Man linked to Mexican cartel arrested in case of Southlake killing in 2013."