Local police arrested a third person on Tuesday for allegedly aiding in the escape of a double murder suspect.
Yeferi Josue Aguilera Hernandez, 32, was booked in Irving City Jail on February 20 on one count of hindering the apprehension of a known felon and one count of possessing child pornography of a child under age 10, according to a news release from the Irving Police Department. His combined bail was set at $125,000, and an ICE hold was reportedly issued, suggesting he may have been an unlawful migrant.
It was not disclosed how exactly Hernandez allegedly helped the double murder suspect, Hector Paguada, also known as Hector Matute. The search continues for the 33-year-old suspect.
Paguada is the primary suspect in the murders of 55-year-old Juana Medina Rodriguez and 23-year-old Nayeli Bolaños Medina, who were both from El Salvador.
The mother-daughter pair were shot dead shortly before 9 p.m. on January 19 inside their apartment located in the 2000 block of West Irving Boulevard. Medina’s 5-year-old son reportedly witnessed the shooting and told detectives that Paguada shot both victims during an argument over a car. Paguada had allegedly been dating Medina at the time.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, earlier this month, Irving police arrested Paguada’s sister, 30-year-old Yudi Mabel Paguada Ruiz, and 34-year-old Nicolle Martinez Tome, with whom the suspect resided and had children with, for allegedly helping hide Paguada and get rid of his Nissan Pathfinder SUV. A third woman told detectives that Tome paid her $100 to move the SUV but had been unaware of the circumstances.
Irving police urge anyone with information about the whereabouts of Paguada to contact the detective on the case at [email protected] or 972-721-2604.
Neighboring Dallas had already clocked 34 criminal homicides this year as of February 21, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard. A 15% year-over-year rise was seen between 2022 and 2023, with the overwhelming majority of murder victims being black or Hispanic.
The Dallas Police Department has been struggling to curb violent crime due in part to a significant staffing shortage. Just 3,000 officers are currently fielded despite a City report calling for a police force of 4,000 officers. Meanwhile, City officials have budgeted DPD just $654 million this fiscal year, allocating considerably less to policing efforts than spending in other high-crime municipalities, such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
Lagging police response times and surging crime rates in Downtown Dallas are a few of the consequences of this lack of resources, as covered by The Dallas Express. Neighboring Fort Worth’s city center is patrolled by a dedicated police unit and private security officers, resulting in significantly lower crime levels compared to Downtown Dallas, especially concerning assaults, drug crimes, and motor vehicle thefts.