MS-13 gang member accused of killing high school student, rival gang member

Jairo Chicas-Raimundo, 23, charged with capital murder and murder Jairo Chicas-Raimundo, 23, charged with capital murder and murder Photo: Houston Police Department Photo: Houston Police Department Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close MS-13 gang member accused of killing high school student, rival gang member 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

One of the last things 19-year-old Adrian Castillo saw before he was killed was an MS-13 gang sign.

His suspected killer — 23-year-old Jairo Chicas-Raimundo — allegedly flashed it at him, as Castillo hung out with friends in the parking lot of his southwest Houston school.

Chicas-Raimundo approached the high school senior, according to court records. He brandished a chrome revolver and flashed the gang sign. He fired.

Castillo's murder on Nov. 7 is believed to be Chicas-Raimundo's second over a period of three days, according to court records.

Chicas-Raimundo, a known member of the violent MS-13 gang, is behind bars after being charged Wednesday in connection with two murders in November.

He landed a murder charge for Castillo's death and a capital murder charge for the Nov. 5 death of Eleazar Vazquez, a member of MS-13's rival gang, La Primera, according to court records.

Chicas-Raimundo's arrest, on Tuesday, is the latest in a series of arrests connected to the two deaths. Two other men were accused in November of kidnapping and killing Vazquez. Another man was charged June 20 for tampering with evidence related to Vazquez's murder — he is believed to have wiped a car clean of Vazquez's blood after Chicas-Raimundo and the others allegedly killed him.

Vazquez's Nov. 5 death, the first of the two grisly crimes, began in a parking lot at 5903 South Gessner, in southwest Houston.

Witnesses told police Vazquez and another man were drinking in the parking lot when Chicas-Raimundo and at least one other person pulled up in a silver, four-door Nissan Murano, according to sworn statements from police officers.

Chicas-Raimundo was in the passenger seat, according to court records. He called Vazquez over, asking him to hop in and take them somewhere where they could buy cocaine. Despite Vazquez's apparent cooperation, Chicas-Raimundo is then believed to have whipped out a chrome revolver, brandished it at Vazquez and ordered him into the vehicle.

Witnesses said Chicas-Raimundo yelled at Vazquez the full name of MS-13, "Mara Salvatrucha!"

Chicas-Raimundo, and two other men, are believed to have taken Vazquez elsewhere and choked him. They dumped the man's body in the 14900 block of FM 521 in Brazoria County.

When police found Vazquez's body several weeks later, there was a red cable around his neck and four gunshots in his back.

Just two days after Vazquez's kidnapping, police suspect Chicas-Raimundo killed again. This time, his victim is believed to have been Castillo.

Chicas-Raimundo is suspected of driving up to Castillo's school, the Houston CAN Academy at 9745 Bissonnet, getting out of the same gray Nissan and firing the same chrome revolver twice at Castillo and one of his friends.

Chicas-Raimundo then drove away.

In addition to Castillo, one of the friends was also hit, according to court records. The wounded friend — whose name has not been released — drove Castillo to an urgent care facility in the 5900 block of Chimney Road where Castillo was pronounced dead.

Prior to the November murders, Chicas-Raimundo did not appear to have a criminal history in Harris County.

Houston police do not believe Chicas-Raimundo worked alone.

On Nov. 21, they arrested 30-year-old Juan J. Treminio after a routine traffic stop. Treminio admitted to his involvement in the deaths of Vazquez and Castillo, according to court documents.

A day later he was charged with capital murder in connection with Vazquez's death. A month later, another man, 23-year-old William Gerardo Cortez, was also charged with capital murder related to Vazquez's death."

The pair are accused of kidnapping, shooting and strangling Vazquez.

As of Thursday afternoon, no charges had been filed against Treminio or Cortez in connection with Castillo's death.

Cortez was arrested Dec. 20 for an outstanding city warrant.

Neither Treminio nor Cortez appeared to have a criminal history in Harris County, prior to their November charges.

A fourth man was charged June 20 for tampering with evidence in connection to Vazquez's death.

Melvin O. Ramirez, 19, is believed to have cleaned blood on Nov. 15 from the gray Nissan into which the other men dumped Vazquez's body the previous week, according to court records.

Ramirez's only prior criminal conviction was criminal trespassing, to which he pled guilty and was sentenced to 30 days in the Harris County Jail.

Chicas-Raimundo, Treminio and Cortez are all being held in the Harris County Jail without bail, according to court records.

According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, Ramirez was still at large Thursday afternoon.