More than 2 years later, man wanted in Mercedes murder turns himself in

MERCEDES — A man wanted in an April 2007 fatal shooting turned himself in to authorities last week.

Officers arrested Oscar Barrientos Muñoz at the Mercedes Police Department last week. The 30-year-old had been on the run since the April 20, 2007, murder of Jose Luis Morales at El Reggaeton Bar, 344 N. Illinois St., Mercedes.

Witnesses told investigators Muñoz shot Morales once in the back that night at the bar. An autopsy later revealed that Morales died after he was shot with a 9 mm bullet that passed through his right lung and heart.

Police got an arrest warrant for Muñoz five days after Morales’ death, but they could not find him at his Mercedes home. Police enlisted the FBI to help track down Muñoz.

In a September 2007 compliant filed in U.S. District Court, relatives of Muñoz told investigators he had fled to Mexico to avoid his arrest for the crime.

Since then, Muñoz had hired an attorney that made contact with the FBI and cleared the way for the murder suspect to turn himself in last week.

Muñoz was booked into the Hidalgo County Jail early Wednesday morning. He remained incarcerated Monday afternoon in lieu of a $1 million bond.

If convicted, Muñoz could face life in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
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Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.