Man arrested in Mexico for 2021 Dallas murder during catalytic converter theft

DALLAS - The suspect in a 2021 Dallas murder is back in North Texas after being arrested in Mexico.

What's new:

Dallas police said members of the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force recently located 22-year-old Juvencio Solorzano in Mexico and took him into custody.

He has already been extradited back to Dallas and was booked into the Dallas County jail and charged with capital murder.

The backstory:

Solorzano is accused of fatally shooting 22-year-old Sergio Maas outside his third-floor apartment at the Spanish Village on Sumter Drive on Dec. 1, 2021.

Police said Maas heard a strange noise and saw a group of people near his Toyota Sequoia in the apartment complex’s parking lot around 4 a.m. 

He grabbed his keys, went onto his balcony, and activated the alarm on his SUV. A witness who was with Maas told police she heard the words, "die dog," followed by what she believed to be three to five gunshots.

Maas was hit by gunfire and fell back into his apartment. He died at the scene.

Investigators determined the group had removed the catalytic converter from Maas’ vehicle. They identified Solorzano as the person who fired the fatal gunshot.

Isabel Campbell was also arrested in 2022 for her alleged role in the crime. She ultimately told police what happened, pleaded guilty to murder and is serving a 10-year prison sentence, according to court records.

Solorzano made a run for the border and for almost five years eluded law enforcement officials.

What they're saying:

"The Dallas Police Department did a great job of investigating the homicide portion of it, getting that capital murder charge, and then asking for assistance from our North Texas Fugitive Taskforce, which we have a whole team of Dallas police officers that are on," said Acting U.S. Marshal Sean Malecha. "So it worked out really well."

Once it was determined that Solorzano was in fact in Mexico, the Marshals Service worked with Mexican authorities to eventually find him and take him into custody without confrontation.

"We have a Mexican foreign field office for the U.S. Marshals that's based out of Mexico City, and we have other offices throughout the Republic of Mexico. And we have a really good relationship with the Republic of Mexico, their government, in locating and apprehending dangerous fugitives that are wanted in the United States," Malecha said.

He attributes the success in this case and others to working well with agencies across North Texas with the fugitive taskforce.

DallasCrime and Public Safety