The latest in the stunning twist in the 2013 killing of a Southlake lawyer. More than 10 years after the shocking crime, the cartel boss known as ‘El Gato’ is behind bars in North Texas — accused of orchestrating the murder-for-hire plot. Meredith Yeomans has more.
As Jose Rodolpho Villarreal-Hernandez, also known as El Gato, sits in a North Texas jail, there’s new reaction to his extradition from law enforcement to lawmakers.
“It was a horrible crime,” said U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, a Republican representing Texas District 24.
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WATCH HEREVan Duyne has called North Texas home since the 1980s. She was the mayor of Irving from 2011 to 2017 and remembers the brazen, broad-daylight execution at Southlake Town Square in 2013.
“When you can have that kind of hit, that kind of organized crime come into what you perceive of being a safe area, it causes everyone to be fearful of going out,” said Van Duyne.
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SIGN UP Villarreal-Hernandez is accused of directing and financing a multi-year effort to find and assassinate 43-year-old Juan Jesus Guerrero-Chapa, an attorney with ties to a rival cartel.
Guerrero-Chapa was shot multiple times by masked men when he and his wife returned to their Range Rover after shopping.
Steve Mylett was the Southlake police chief at the time. He’s now a police chief in Worthington, Ohio.
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When reached by phone, Mylett told NBC 5, “It's a great day that he's in custody and I hope he gets everything coming to him."
Villarreal-Hernandez made the FBI's Most Wanted List in 2020 and was arrested in 2023 ago by Mexican authorities.
He was among 29 major cartel figures handed over by Mexico on Thursday.
“Bringing those people to justice and making sure that message gets back to not just to Mexican cartels but Mexican government that those types of crimes will not be permitted in our country. We will, I don’t care how long it takes, get to the bottom of it and hold those individuals responsible,” said Van Dunye.
In New York, hundreds of DEA Agents attended the arraignment Friday for 72-year-old Rafael Caro Quintero who was accused of orchestrating the killing of special agent "Kiki" Camarena 40 years ago.
Villarreal-Hernandez will make his first appearance in federal court next week.
