Texas Police Capture Migrant Gang Member Convicted in 2004 Murder

Texas State Troopers arrested two migrants near Cotulla Sunday during border patrols. The pair was turned over to Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents for processing and potential removal. Agents discovered one migrant, Jose Arias-Gonzalez, was a suspected Sureno gang member who was previously convicted of murder with a 16-year prison term.

Federal authorities say Arias-Gonzalez freely admitted to being an active Sureno member.

Contemporaneous news reports show Arias-Gonzalez’s murder case dates back to the 2004 killing of 45-year-old David Norman Collins Jr. in Clayton, North Carolina. Arias-Gonzalez shot Collins, a security guard at the Dockside Dolls strip club. According to witnesses, Collins escorted Arias-Gonzalez and several other men out of the club when an altercation occurred.

During the altercation, Collins was shot by Arias Gonzalez and later transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead after arrival. Arias Gonzalez was charged and subsequently convicted of first-degree murder. Others received accessory charges.

Arias-Gonzalez now faces felony charges of re-entry after removal as an aggravated felon. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison.

This is the second migrant apprehended in the Laredo Sector in November with a previous murder conviction. On November 17, Border Patrol Agents arrested Juventino Orta-Garcia, a 50-year-old citizen of Mexico, shortly after his illegal entry. Agents discovered Orta-Garcia committed a 1988 murder in Texas.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.

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