Police arrest suspected Texas gunman’s wife for allegedly helping him evade arrest, escape to Mexico

Authorities in the US state of Texas have arrested the wife of Francisco Oropesa, the man accused of fatally shooting five neighbours, said the local prosecutor, on Wednesday (May 3). This comes a day after Oropesa was arrested after a four-day-long manhunt which involved local, state and federal officials.

Oropesa’s arrest

The accused was arrested on Tuesday after he was found in a closet under some laundry in a home in Montgomery County and was taken into custody around 7:00 pm (local time), said the local sheriff’s office.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

San Jacinto County Chief Deputy Tim Kean, in a news conference, on Wednesday said that the $5 million bond will be set for the suspected gunman when he appears later before a judge in a local jail where he is being held on five counts of murder.

Oropesa was apprehended in Cut and Shoot, Texas which is a few kilometres away from Cleveland, Texas, where the killings took place, as per media reports citing officials.

The shooting took place after neighbours had asked Oropesa to stop firing his rifle on Friday night when he stepped out of his house and shot rounds with an AR-15-style rifle, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said on Saturday.

The gunman shot Wilson Garcia, the father of the one-month-old’s wife, Sonia Argentina Guzman, before killing three other adults - Diana Velazquez Alvarado (21), Julisa Molina Rivera (31), Jose Jonathan Casarez (18) - and Garcia’s son, Daniel Enrique Laso-Guzman (8).

Oropesa’s wife arrested

The suspect’s wife, later identified as Divimara Nava, was arrested on Wednesday morning for allegedly helping him evade capture, authorities said. The 52-year-old was charged with “hindering the apprehension of a known felon,” said the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office in a statement.

Nava is being held on a $250,000 bond, as per media reports citing jail records, which also list her as “not married,” but sharing a home address with him. However, she has been identified as the wife of the suspect, Oropesa, by law enforcement.

The prosecutors, as per the Associated Press, said the suspect showered and slept at the house outside the city of Conroe on Tuesday while Divimara Lamar Nava got him doughnuts from a nearby store.

According to the prosecutor, she also acknowledged delivering a message from Oropesa to his cousins in the area asking them to help him get out of the country. However, his cousins refused.

The officials have also alleged that the suspect was planning to escape to Mexico and believe Lamar Nava was talking to investigators at the same time she was trying to help Oropesa, San Jacinto County District Attorney Todd Dillon said at a news conference.

The suspect’s supposed wife’s arrest came after she had initially told an FBI agent that she was not aware of Oropesa’s whereabouts and later said he showed up at the house about 1:30 am (local time), Tuesday, reported the AP.

The arrest also comes days after more details were revealed about Oropesa who was first removed by an immigration judge back in 2009. However, the suspect’s current immigration status remains unclear and it is also not known how long he was in the US since last deported.

In a statement, on Monday, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said that it identified the suspect as a Mexican and confirmed that he was apprehended and deported several times.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.