28 Oct Suspect in Pueblo Nuevo double homicide surrenders at Laredo port of entry

The man wanted in the killings of two men in Pueblo Nuevo is in custody after surrendering at Laredo’s Bridge No. 1 on Tuesday, according to the Webb County Sheriff’s Office.

Manuel De Jesus Cruz-Estudillo was wanted on two murder warrants in the Oct. 24 deaths of Raul Ramos Moreno, 43, and Gustavo Ramos Moreno, 40. He presented himself to authorities at the bridge, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection processed him before turning him over to the sheriff’s office Criminal Investigations Division on the warrants, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators with that division arranged the voluntary surrender through direct communication with him, the office said. The office said he went to Mexico after the shooting and that investigators made contact with him by drawing on evidence in the case. The sheriff’s office credited coordination between U.S. and Mexican authorities for the outcome.

Sheriff Martin Cuellar thanked the agencies involved, including Mexican authorities, and called Cruz-Estudillo a dangerous individual who had to be taken into custody fast. A search that could have dragged on for weeks ended within days, he said. Cuellar also credited Chief Tim Tubbs, saying his federal law enforcement background strengthened the working relationship with Mexican authorities.

Deputies were called to 808 Main St. in Pueblo Nuevo, near State Highway 359, at about 11:27 p.m. Saturday after a neighbor reported a shooting. They found both men shot. One was pronounced dead there, and the other was taken to a hospital, where he later died. Relatives described the two as brothers, KGNS reported.

The two murder warrants were issued Monday morning. Authorities have said they believe it was a one-off event and that the public was not at risk. No motive has been disclosed.