Pedro Fuentes Espinoza

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Austin Police Department (TX)

Missing From:

Austin, Texas

Summary:

Pedro Fuentes Espinoza, a 42-year-old male, is a fugitive wanted for two murder warrants issued by the Austin Police Department. He is suspected of shooting and killing Elvi Vanessa Cervantes-De La Torre on February 17, 2020, in a parking lot at Canyon Trails Apartment Complex in northeast Austin over a parking space dispute, and of killing Julio Cesar Gamez-Contreras on August 11, 2019, at La Preferida Bar in north Austin. He may have also committed a murder in Mexico before fleeing to Texas.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

On February 17, 2020, at approximately 10:59 p.m., multiple shots were fired in a parking lot at the Canyon Trails Apartment Complex in the 7000 block of Grand Canyon Drive in northeast Austin. According to witness accounts, a group of eight to ten Hispanic males were drinking in the parking lot when an altercation occurred between two of the men and Elvi Vanessa Cervantes-De La Torre. The suspect reportedly approached Cervantes-De La Torre and her companion in their vehicle and asked them to leave the parking space. Cervantes-De La Torre, the driver, got into a verbal argument with the suspect over the parking space. The suspect left the scene but returned within minutes with a firearm and shot both victims. Cervantes-De La Torre was pronounced dead at the scene; her companion, Carlos Vega, was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. Witnesses identified the suspect as Pedro Fuentes Espinoza. The incident was preceded by an earlier murder on August 11, 2019, at approximately 1:50 a.m. at La Preferida bar at 10205 North Lamar Boulevard. A verbal altercation inside the bar escalated, and security guards expelled the patrons to the parking lot. In the parking lot, a suspect exited a vehicle and opened fire on three male victims, killing 26-year-old Julio Cesar Gamez-Contreras and injuring two others. A white Cadillac Escalade was observed leaving the scene.

Additional Details:

After the February 2020 shooting, detectives discovered that Espinoza's residence in an apartment nearby contained evidence linking him to the crime scene. Police located his black 2007 Cadillac Escalade EXT and determined through vehicle registration records that it had originally been purchased as a white truck in July 2019. Upon inspection with a search warrant, officers found the interior engine compartment was white while the exterior had been painted black, indicating the vehicle had been repainted between the August 2019 and February 2020 incidents. Detectives believed the color change occurred after the La Preferida Bar shooting to avoid detection due to media attention. On March 12, 2020, a second murder warrant was issued for Espinoza related to the August 11, 2019, killing. A witness who saw the February 2020 shooting identified Espinoza as the perpetrator and reported that Espinoza had bragged on multiple occasions about committing the homicide at La Preferida Bar. Detectives learned that Espinoza was deported to Mexico in 2018 following family assault and arson charges. He returned to the Austin area and was working at a landscaping company at the time of the February 17, 2020 incident but has not been seen there since the homicide. Approximately ten days after the February 2020 shooting, Espinoza's black Cadillac was found abandoned at a gas station in Austin. Surveillance footage showed a person believed to be Espinoza leaving the vehicle with someone else in another vehicle. On February 19, 2020, GPS data from Espinoza's phone indicated he crossed the border into Mexico. Police believe Espinoza may have previously committed murder in Mexico before coming to Austin to avoid apprehension. As of March 2020, police stated they had no reason to believe he was in the Austin area. Detectives have been working with Mexican authorities regarding a possible murder he may have committed in Mexico. The case was featured on Investigation Discovery's 'In Pursuit with John Walsh' television program.

Case Last Updated:

May 01, 2026