SUV's drunk driving mechanism captures photo of murder suspect

McALLEN – A photo taken by a DWI interlock device helped McAllen police identify the suspects in a fatal gang dispute last week, police said.

Officers continue to search for Victor “Rambo” Treviño – who appears in an image taken by the machine moments before he allegedly used the Ford Expedition in which it was installed in a drive-by shooting that left fellow gang member Lupe Hernandez dead.

Treviño, a 35-year-old Pharr resident, is the purported local head of the Texas Chicano Brotherhood – the same gang to which Hernandez belonged.

CAUGHT ON TAPE

Witnesses said they saw Treviño get out of the SUV, grab a 9 mm Glock pistol from the back and drive toward the intersection of South 22nd Street and Fresno Avenue on Wednesday evening, according to a criminal complaint.

There, he allegedly opened fire on Hernandez’s Ford Focus, killing his fellow gang member and injuring the man’s girlfriend in the car’s passenger seat.

Witnesses reported the license plate number off the Expedition to investigators, which led police to Treviño’s grandmother’s house in Pharr on Thursday.

There, officers found the SUV – owned by Treviño’s common-law wife, 28-year-old Elizama Camacho Villegas – and a series of images saved on the breath sample interlock device inside.

Court records show Villegas received deferred adjudication after allegedly driving while intoxicated with a child in November 2006. DWI interlock devices are a frequent condition of probation and take photos inside the vehicle each time the driver gives a breath sample to start the ignition.

And the photos in Villegas’ SUV purportedly show her, Treviño and their 2-year-old son in the vehicle at the time of the attack.

The image, which was not released by investigators, shows Treviño behind the wheel, Villegas attempting to hide on the reclined front passenger seat of the SUV and the toddler in the back seat, the complaint states.

Villegas later gave police a written statement, admitting her presence while her husband opened fire on Hernandez and his girlfriend.

McAllen Municipal Judge Ernest Aliseda formally charged her with murder, attempted murder and child endangerment during an arraignment Sunday. Her bond was set at $1 million on the three felony charges.

EVIDENCE TAMPERING

Police also arrested two other men for their alleged role in trying to dispose of the gun used in the shooting.

After purportedly shooting Hernandez, Treviño sped away from the crime scene and handed off the gun, wrapped in a red handkerchief, to 19-year-old Rodolfo Perez, according to a criminal complaint filed in his case.

Perez allegedly gave the firearm to a third man – Johnny Lee Moralez, 21, of Edinburg.

Both men have since given investigators statements implicating themselves on evidence tampering charges, the complaint states. Each was arraigned Sunday and given a $60,000 bond.

As of late Monday afternoon, all three suspects remained at the Hidalgo County Jail, while police continue to search for Treviño and a man known only as “Bear.”

Treviño, who grew up in the Rio Grande Valley and has an extensive criminal record, is not likely to have fled to Mexico, given the widespread danger south of the border, said McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez.

“That’s not where people from this side run to anymore,” the chief said. “We believe he’s still here.”

Authorities urge anyone with information on Treviño's whereabouts to contact McAllen Crime Stoppers at (956) 687-8477. 

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Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.