2013-07-28 Cueto

Murder of Alfredo Ruben Cueto – East Amarillo Boulevard Shooting

Alfredo Ruben Cueto, 24, was fatally shot on Sunday, July 28, 2013, in the 4400 block of East Amarillo Boulevard in Amarillo, Texas. The Amarillo Police Department's Special Crimes Unit investigated the homicide, which resulted in the conviction of two individuals: Janett De La Paz Hernandez (also known as Janett De La Paz) and Humberto De La Paz Hernandez.

Incident

Amarillo Police Department officers responded to a shots-fired call in the 4400 block of East Amarillo Boulevard on Sunday night at approximately 7:30 p.m.^[1]

As officers were on their way to the scene, they learned that one person had been shot. When officers arrived, they found a man lying in a yard near a parking lot with a gunshot wound to his upper body.

APD identified the injured man as 24-year-old Alfredo Ruben Cueto. Cueto was transported to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.

Autopsy Results

According to Amarillo Police Department autopsy results, Alfredo Ruben Cueto died from a gunshot wound to his upper body.

Evidence at the scene had led investigators to believe that this incident was a homicide.

Investigation and Suspect Vehicle

APD Special Crimes Unit released photos of a pickup spotted near the scene of the homicide and asked for the public's help in locating the vehicle. Police believed it was a faded red or maroon mid-1990s Nissan pickup truck.

According to a search warrant affidavit, witnesses told police that the driver of a red Nissan single-cab pickup, later determined to be Hernandez, stuck his arm out of the window and shot Cueto numerous times.

Witness statements and surveillance video footage revealed several unique characteristics of the pickup, including:

• A broken black bug deflector on the front of the hood
• A seven-digit license plate

Police used the information to narrow the search to a 1993 Nissan pickup registered to De La Paz and Hernandez, who lived in the 1000 block of North Woodland Street.^[2]

Authorities later served a search warrant at the home and discovered the Nissan in a detached garage. 47th District Attorney Randall Sims said the pickup was a key piece of evidence in the case.

During the course of the investigation, authorities learned that Hernandez complained of Cueto causing disturbances at the home on a number of occasions.

On at least one of those occasions, court records show, Cueto and Hernandez got into a physical fight because Cueto was allegedly attempting to burglarize the residence.

"They were pretty sure Cueto had burglarized their house twice," 47th District Attorney Randall Sims said. "He was taking advantage of his family and stealing from them, and (Hernandez) had enough."

Motive

De La Paz married Hernandez in 2010, Texas marriage records show.

De La Paz was a passenger in a vehicle driven by her husband, Humberto De La Paz Hernandez, 30, who used a handgun to shoot and kill Cueto in a parking lot at 4418 E. Amarillo Blvd. in July 2013.

Arrests and Charges

• Janett De La Paz Hernandez, age 20, was arrested for the murder of Alfredo Ruben Cueto and booked into the Potter County Correction Center on a murder warrant.

• Humberto De La Paz Hernandez, age 27, was identified as the suspect in the homicide. A murder warrant was issued for Hernandez on August 7, 2013, and served while he was in the Randall County Jail on unrelated charges.^[3]

Trials and Sentencing

Humberto De La Paz Hernandez was sentenced in April to 30 years in prison after he pled guilty to murder as part of a plea deal.
Janett De La Paz, 22, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for her part in the 2013 murder of her brother. She pled guilty to first-degree murder on November 18 as part of a plea deal. She was accused of being a party to the murder of 24-year-old Alfredo Ruben Cueto.

Case Timeline

• July 28, 2013: Cueto shot at approximately 7:30 p.m.; dies at hospital
• August 7, 2013: Murder warrant issued for Humberto De La Paz Hernandez
• August 2013: Janett De La Paz Hernandez arrested on murder warrant
• April 2014: Humberto De La Paz Hernandez sentenced to 30 years in prison
• November 18, 2014: Janett De La Paz pleads guilty to first-degree murder
• Date of sentencing: Janett De La Paz sentenced to 14 years in prison

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