Travis County Murder Suspect Deported from Mexico After 20-Month Fugitive Hunt

U.S. Marshals, in collaboration with Mexican authorities, successfully deported a Travis County resident on February 18th, who was being pursued by the Austin Police Department in connection to a fatal shooting incident in 2022.

Cristian Avila-Solis, aged 21, faces murder charges following the incident on May 23, 2022, in the 1800 block of West Slaughter Lane, Austin. The shooting, which occurred in an LA Fitness parking lot, resulted in the death of a man identified as Jose Alberto Aguirre Castellanos, aged 36.

Avila-Solis becomes the third suspect implicated in the case. Following the issuance of a warrant for his arrest in May 2022, the Austin Police Department enlisted the help of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force based in Austin to locate him.

Authorities intensified their pursuit, eventually reaching out to Mexican officials for assistance as Avila-Solis was believed to have fled to Mexico after the shooting. On February 17th, Mexican authorities apprehended Avila-Solis in San Luis Potosi on immigration charges.

The following day, Avila-Solis was deported to the U.S. via a commercial flight to Fort Worth, where members of the North Texas Fugitive Task Force took custody of him, marking the conclusion of a 20-month-long fugitive investigation.

Currently, Avila-Solis is being held at the Tarrant County Jail awaiting extradition to Travis County to face charges.

In a related development from August 2022, John Wiley Bagwell, also aged 21, was arrested in Palmer Lake, Colorado, by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force with assistance from the USMS Colorado Violent Offenders Task Force. Bagwell, too, was wanted for first-degree murder in connection to the May 2022 Austin shooting incident.

The Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in Austin comprises various law enforcement agencies, including the Austin Police Department-Tactical Intelligence Unit, Georgetown, Round Rock, and San Marcos Police Department, as well as several county sheriff’s offices, the Texas Attorney General’s Office, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice OIG, the Texas Department of Public Safety, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, and U.S. DHS/Homeland Security Investigations.