Arrests related to one of the Del Valle homicides
We have more details on the arrest Tuesday in a Del Valle murder.
29-year-old Leon Castillo was booked into the Travis County Jail. He is charged with capital murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, in this case a human corpse.
In October, the body of 27-year-old Aaron Lee Rogers was found inside the trunk of a burning car off Buck Lane. Court documents state he was shot twice before being set on fire.
Castillo is believed to be one of several people connected to that crime.
FOX 7 is first to confirm that nearly a dozen family members of Leon Castillo have been arrested and charged over the past 20 years for several crimes in the area, including drug-related, property and crimes against other people. At least one family member is gang-related.
Besides Leon, it is still not clear if the others have anything to do with these recent homicides.
Recent arrests have not calmed fears for many residents in Del Valle.
Instead, they know it's still the beginning of a long process.
"We are in fear. You don't know if you should leave your house because they're going to rob it but then we're still afraid that if we stay at home they're going to kill us. So we don't know where to go," says resident.
We have hidden the identity of this women for her safety. She and others have been burglarized multiple times this year. "They took televisions, computers, cameras, money," says resident.
Leon Castillo was arrested Tuesday in connection to the death of 27-year-old Aaron Lee Rogers. His body was found inside of a burning car off Buck Lane in October.
Here's how authorities tracked him down:
On November 14th, 22-year-old Thomas Cisneros and 18-year-old Gloriana Vega were arrested for outstanding warrants. During an interview, Vega confessed to several crimes - saying that she was there the day Rogers was killed. They reportedly met at Castillo's home along with Cisneros.
Court documents explain that a photo of Rogers beaten, tied up and still alive, was sent from Castillo's phone to Cisneros before his death. The victim was reportedly placed in the car and driven over to Buck Lane.
Vega confesses that Cisneros later shot Rogers twice before Castillo poured gasoline on him and set the car on fire. Cisneros has also been charged with capital murder.
The woman we interviewed was glad to know Vega and Cisneros were arrested. They were behind a violent home invasion involving her friend. "When I went to go see her, I was left even more scared. I thought, good thing they never found me the times they've broken in," says resident.
There were eight homicides in Del Valle between September and October.
Authorities have not said whether those arrested have any connection to the others.
"That they catch them as fast as they can, that's what I'm thinking and that's what I'm hoping for. It was very calm before, the whole community was calm. But no, there's no tranquility anymore," says resident.
Multiple agencies are involved. Travis County and Bastrop County Sheriff's Office are both heading the cases. They are also working with the Texas Rangers and APD.