Police recently arrested two teens in connection with the murder of a man in Arlington who was helping sell a car on Facebook Marketplace.
Arlington Police arrested 18-year-old Luis Gutierrez and 19-year-old Cristian Saucedo of Dallas after they allegedly killed 55-year-old Khudhair Hamdan during a test drive of the car.
Hamdan was helping relatives show a purple Dodge Charger to potential buyers, and the suspects arranged to see the car through an ad on social media.
The men allegedly met Hamdan at his home to check out the car on March 21. He then accompanied them on a test drive, police said.
Arlington Police believe one of the two men shot Hamdan while they were driving on Port Richmond Way, citing surveillance video from the area and witness statements.
Hamdan died at the scene, according to police.
Surveillance video showed Gutierrez and Saucedo leaving the car after they allegedly drove it less than a mile away and ditched it behind a shopping center located at Matlock and Sublett roads, according to police.
The two murder suspects were then picked up in a uniquely customized black Dodge Challenger.
Detectives used cell phone location data to pinpoint the locations of the number used to communicate with the victim about the potential sale of the vehicle.
Data from the number showed the phone at the location where the test drive occurred and along Matlock Road, where the purple Challenger was abandoned.
This helped detectives to identify where Gutierrez lived, according to police.
Police conducted surveillance on Gutierrez’s home and, on April 5, spotted the same black Challenger that had picked up the two suspects following the alleged shooting.
The black Challenger later left the residence with Gutierrez inside, and upon discovering the vehicle was stolen, police conducted a traffic stop.
Gutierrez and his brother, Armando Gutierrez, were taken into custody during the stop. Police said a third person in the vehicle escaped on foot.
Police also said they recovered three guns thrown out of the vehicle during the traffic stop.
Officials later identified the third person in the vehicle as Saucedo. The U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force located Saucedo at his home in Dallas on April 7 and took him into custody without incident.
Luis Gutierrez was booked into the Dallas County Jail and charged with evading arrest, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and capital murder.
His bond was set at $1.11 million.
Saucedo is in Tarrant County Jail, charged with capital murder and parole violation.
According to court documents, Saucedo’s bond is $500,000.
Charges against Armando Gutierrez are not yet known.
Capital murder convictions in Texas carry a punishment of life in prison without parole or the death penalty.
In nearby Dallas, murder continues to surge. The City has seen homicides increase roughly 25% year-to-date, according to the Dallas Police.