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McAllen, TX – A man wanted for Homicide was
arrested by the United States Marshals Service-multi agency led Gulf Coast
Violent Offenders Fugitive Task Force (GCVOFTF) on October 2, 2012.
Cruz Casanova Barrera, 49, was indicted by the 221st District Court in
Montgomery County, Texas, for the offense of Homicide. It is alleged that in
1984, in Conroe, Texas, Barrera shot and killed a male victim near the
parking lot of a bar after being involved in a fight over a female. Barrera
fled the Houston area to avoid apprehension from law enforcement. A warrant
for arrest was issued against Barrera charging him with Homicide.
On October 2, 2012, U.S. Marshals Service Investigators and a Starr County
Task
Force Officer developed information that Barrera was staying in a rural area
in Starr County, Texas. The investigation led members of the GCVOFTF to a
house in Roma, Texas. Members of the GCVOFTF along with Starr County
Sheriff’s Deputies, Roma Police Offices, Texas Rangers and a Texas Park and
Wildlife Game Warden approached the house and placed Barrera under arrest
after finding him inside the residence. Barrera is also being charged by the
District Court in Starr County, Texas for the offense of failure to appear.
Barrera was arrested in 1995 by State Troopers from the Texas Department of
Public Safety after finding over 1400 pounds of marijuana inside his
vehicle. Barrera posted bond and had been on the run since. Barrera is being
detained at the Starr County Jail pending prosecution from the District
Attorney’s Office in Starr County, Texas, and awaiting extradition to
Conroe, Texas.
The GCVOFTF is a team comprised of law enforcement officers from the U.S.
Marshals Service, Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, Starr County Sheriff’s
Office, McAllen P.D., Mission P.D. San Juan P.D., Weslaco P.D., TDCJ Office
of Inspector General, Texas Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Alcohol
Tobacco & Firearms and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Additional
information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at
http://www.usmarshals.gov.
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