Relative of suspected double murderer arrested in Irving; suspect still at large
IRVING, Texas - Irving police say one of two women arrested over the weekend in connection to a double murder is a relative of the murder suspect.
That suspect still has not been found. Police believe the two women who were arrested helped him hide after the murders.
Irving police say 33-year-old Hector Paguada, also known as Hector Matute, is still on the run.
"We’re well aware at the surface what this look likes; it looks like a boyfriend-girlfriend type thing," said Delaney Brey with Irving PD. "But there are facts to this case that kind of muddy the waters, and truly right now the only person who knows why Nayeli and Juana were murdered is Hector Paguada."
On Jan. 25, police arrested 34-year-old Nicolle Martinez Tome and 30-year-old Yudi Mabel Paguada Ruiz, a relative of the suspect. The two women were charged with tampering with evidence with intent to impair an investigation.
"We can’t get into the exact details of how they were helping Hector," Brey said. "We can just confirm that when they were helping him as early as the night of the murder, they were well aware that the murder had taken place."
Tips over the weekend led police to believe Paguada is still in the U.S.
Irving police, the FBI and other federal agencies are helping in the search. Police are also working with the Honduran embassy since Paguada is originally from Honduras.
"There’s proof in his past that he’s gone back and forth. That’s been part of his life that he’s done before this," Brey said. "So that’s always a fear that they leave the U.S."
Police records show Paguada has a criminal past. He was arrested by Irving police in 2016 for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old and getting her pregnant, and he served probation.
"We are hoping that people will see this report, they will understand that it is a serious charge, even if you’re having a conversation with Hector right now," Brey said.
Irving police urge anyone with information about his whereabouts to come forward.
"I know a lot of people think, ‘Well, I had a brief interaction with him.’ Well, that brief interaction could be exactly what leads us to putting the pieces of the puzzle together," Brey said. "So any information is good information."
Tome bonded out of jail on Friday. Paguada Ruiz is still being held at the Dallas County jail on a $75,000 bond.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Irving PD.