Two undocumented immigrants from El Salvador arrested in MS-13 killing at Missouri City park

Bryan Castillo, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador living in Houston, is one of two suspects now in custody in connection with the Dec, 8 murder of Missouri City teen, Eduardo Eguia. Castillo is currently being held at the Fort Bend County Jail without bail. A Fort Bend County Grand Jury is expected to consider an indictment against Castillo and another Houston gang member, Selvin Geovonny Palacious Miranda, in the coming weeks. Photo courtesy of the Fort Bend County Jail less Bryan Castillo, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador living in Houston, is one of two suspects now in custody in connection with the Dec, 8 murder of Missouri City teen, Eduardo Eguia. Castillo is ... more Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Two undocumented immigrants from El Salvador arrested in MS-13 killing at Missouri City park 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

After being chased, beaten and eventually shot in the shoulder, 16-year-old Eduardo Eguia jumped into a small lake in a remote area of Missouri City’s Buffalo Run park and tried to escape by swimming to safety. The small band of MS-13 gang members who’d ambushed Eguia and another teen watched briefly but ran when they saw the flashlights of approaching police officers, according to Fort Bend County court records.

Bleeding profusely from a single gunshot wound to his shoulder, the teen managed to pull himself to shore where he lost consciousness and eventually died lying along the water’s edge. Police officers that night didn’t see the wounded teen and Eguia was undiscovered for three nights in the silent darkness while worried family members searched and filed a missing person report the next day. The teen’s body was eventually discovered by a Missouri City officer during an organized search of the park.

After months of investigating, Missouri City Police recently charged two undocumented immigrants from El Salvador in connection with the shooting attack and the murder of Eduardo Eguia on Dec. 8, 2018.

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Selvin Geovanny Palacios Miranda, 18, and Bryan Castillo, 19, were both charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Court records indicate Eguia drove a friend, 19-year-old Alexis Barreno, to the park where they met up with Miranda, Castillo and two other MS-13 gang members who allegedly regularly bought marijuana from Barreno. However, the meeting turned out to be an ambush by the four MS-13 gang members, who planned to shoot Barreno because they recently discovered he was a member of a rival gang, Calle 13.

Once deep inside the park, court records say Castillo allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Barreno, who somehow managed to outrun gang members and escape. Family members later took him to the hospital and he was able to recover.

According to court documents, two weeks prior to the shooting Miranda had called MS-13 gang leaders in El Salvador to gain permission to shoot Barreno. Eguia, who was not affiliated with any gang, was apparently just at the wrong place at the wrong time and was reportedly targeted because it was feared he would tell police about the shooting.

Detectives who interviewed Castillo and the other MS-13 members were told Castillo shot Barreno and Miranda later took the gun and then shot Eguia. Miranda reportedly later claimed he’d shot Eguia and told several gang members “The demon is inside of me.” But, during police interviews, Miranda denied witness accounts and claimed Castillo shot both Eguia and Barreno.

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MS-13, also known as the Mara Salvatrucha, is considered one of the most vicious and feared gangs in the United States and Houston and the surrounding area is increasingly becoming a hub for MS-13 crime, according to the 2018 Texas Gang Threat Assessment recently released by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Founded in Los Angeles in the 1980s by immigrants from El Salvador, MS-13 is known to be involved in drug and human smuggling, prostitution, murder and extortion. It is classified as a Tier 1 threat in the report.

MS-13 members are also known for their involvement in the Satanism, which is evidenced by the gang’s use of demonic nicknames, tattoos and other Satanic imagery. The gang’s hand sign is a devil’s horn signal known as “la garra,” a Spanish reference to Satan’s claws, experts say.

Castillo was arrested on July 11 and is currently being held at the Fort Bend County Jail. He is scheduled to appear in Fort Bend County Court for a hearing on Aug. 26. Miranda is currently being held at the Harris County Jail on unrelated charges. A Fort Bend County grand jury is expected to review the evidence in both cases and consider a formal indictment against the suspects in the coming weeks.

knix@hcnonline.com