Garland murder victim was target of robbery set up by 17-year-old, police say
GARLAND, Texas - Garland police say a murder victim was the target of a robbery and that the robbery was set up by a 17-year-old girl and her accomplice.
21-year-old Arturo Peña's family says they have hired a private investigator to look into their son's murder.
Natalie Navarro is in jail in South Texas, but her alleged accomplice remains on the run.
Peña was found murdered in his car at Audubon Park in Garland last week two days after he was reported missing.
Garland police detectives obtained arrest warrants for 21-year-old Yordy Martinez and 17-year-old Natalie Navarro, who was the subject of an AMBER Alert in Dallas.
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17-year-old subject of Dallas AMBER Alert suspect in Garland murder, second suspect on the loose
17-year-old Natalie Navarro is expected to face a murder charge just hours after an AMBER Alert was issued to find her.
Navarro was arrested in Webb County near the border city of Laredo. Martinez is on the run.
Now, an arrest affidavit reveals robbery may have been the motive.
"There’s a murderer on the loose. And if they did it for a ring and a necklace, stuff that doesn’t even matter, we can’t imagine where they’re going elsewhere with no money and what they could do," said Peña’s girlfriend, Veronica Lopez.
Peña’s girlfriend and mother tell FOX 4 they had not heard of Martinez or Navarro until Peña went missing. Then, they say they received tips from people believing the pair may have been responsible.
Peña’s family says they confronted Navarro.
"She was acting like she was so sincere that she was going to help us find Arturo. That she was so scared and nervous, and she was just praying," Lopez said.
Peña’s family even contacted Mesquite police when they say they spotted Martinez and Navarro last Monday.
At the time, Peña was still a missing person. His body had not been found.
Video taken by Peña’s family appears to show Martinez being apprehended. But Mesquite police say there were no active warrants. So a report was made, and they were released. A citation was issued to one of the two, but the department will not specify who or for what.
The next day, Peña’s body was found in Garland.
Garland police say it gained enough evidence to issue murder warrants three days later.
"We can’t rest until he’s locked up as well," Lopez said.
While police search for Martinez, Peña’s family is also using a private investigator.
"I’m very confident in Garland police that they will catch him," said private investigator Daniel Gomez. "But I will tell you right now the only thing that bothers me right now is there’s a killer on the loose. And you gotta ask yourself this question: Who’s gonna be next?"
The garland police affidavit is heavily redacted to protect evidence, so it’s unclear if it reveals how Peña, Martinez and Navarro came to know each other.
"Who knows if he’s going to kill somebody else’s son," Lopez said.
Anyone with any information about what happened is asked to contact Garland Police Department.