Fugitive Murder Suspect Arrested at Texas Border

Sobrevilla HCSO Photos
Photos: Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office
Bob Price

A man wanted for the pre-Thanksgiving murder of a Texas woman was arrested by federal officers as he attempted to re-enter the U.S.  from Mexico.

Javier Sobrevilla Jr., 58, was attempting to cross the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge from Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on November 26 when U.S. Customs and Border Protections (CBP) officers recognized him as a possible fugitive. They asked Sobrevilla, a U.S. citizen, to proceed to a secondary inspection station. Officers used biometric information to confirm that Sobrevilla was an exact match to a man wanted in Hidalgo County, Texas, in connection with the November 21 alleged murder of his estranged wife, according to information obtained by Breitbart Texas from CBP officials.

Maria Guadalupe Sobrevilla was found dead outside a mobile home she had been renting for about a month. She appeared to have been shot in the chest, according to The Monitor.

“That’s my mom!” her adult daughter screamed as she collapsed to the ground by her mother’s lifeless body.

Maria Guadalupe lay motionless on the ground with both of her arms outstretched above her head, Martinez wrote. Neighbors said she had only moved into the trailer during the last month. At the time, law enforcement officials had little to go on, but suspected the case to be related to domestic violence. Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputies began searching for Sobrevilla and issued a warrant for his arrest.

CBP officers arrested the man after he had fled to Mexico and was attempting to return to the U.S. five days later. After Sobrevilla’s arrest on Saturday, he turned over to the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office where he is expected to face murder charges.

The fugitive murder suspect has a criminal past, Martinez reported. In 2014, Sobrevilla was convicted on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance. He was arrested in 2013 with $6,000 in cash and nine bags of cocaine, according to the report. He had also reportedly provided police with a fake name at the time of his arrest.

“The apprehension of this wanted person is an exceptional example of collaboration between law enforcement agencies to capture individuals who are accused of violating the law and are pending criminal proceedings for their alleged actions,” Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzaludas Port of Entry Port Director Efrain Solis Jr., said in a written statement.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.

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