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Marisela Castro, a 30-year-old trans woman from Houston, was shot dead in the middle of Centerwood Street in the North Shore neighborhood on July 29, 2022.
Houston police confirmed on Thursday (March 16) that a 17-year-old boy has been arrested over his involvement in the shooting and is facing a capital murder charge, ABC News reported. However, they do not believe that he shot Castro.
Police said they are still looking for a second unidentified suspect involved in Marisela Castro's shooting.
Details of Marisela Castro's death explored
According to ABC News, surveillance footage from the night of the shooting showed Marisela Castro and two others inside her car in the North Shore neighborhood.
Castro and the unidentified suspect were seen walking out of the car before the assailant fired a single shot towards the transgender woman, who was hit in the back at around 2 am.
The assailant was then seen getting back in the vehicle before driving away with the other suspect. Authorities have not disclosed additional details about the murder, including the motive, as they cannot release information in a case that involves a juvenile suspect.
However, authorities said that they believe that the 17-year-old, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, was not the one who shot Castro. Houston Police added that the other suspect, who they believe shot Castro, remains at large.
Marisela Castro’s brother was informed of the suspect’s arrest after police took him into custody. The brother, who chose to remain anonymous as he feared retaliation, told the outlet that he believed that the other suspect would inevitably have to face the consequences of his actions even if managed to evade the law.
"Sadly, that is life sometimes. The person who commits these crimes is out in the streets. Sometimes they are never caught, but God will take care of that."
He added:
"I pray to God that (Marisela) is in a good place now. I hope God has forgiven (Marisela's) sins and (Marisela) is at peace now."
In a statement to ABC News, Elia Chino, executive director of Fundación Latinoamericana De Acción Social - a group that aids Houston's LGBTQ Latino community - said that they were elated that law enforcement found the people responsible for the incident.
"I am so happy that finally, law enforcement is doing something about it to find those responsible. Our lives matter."
Houston police have asked anyone with information on the second suspect to call their homicide division at 713-308-3600 or submit a tip anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS, ABC News reported.
