Fort Worth man accepts murder deal; accused of second murder in Mexico

FORT WORTH, Texas – A Fort Worth man took a plea deal this month for a murder he committed four years ago.

However, court documents obtained by FOX 4 indicate he managed to escape to Mexico while out on bail. Police have reason to believe he committed a second murder while he was there.

Jesus Rios was returned to North Texas after attempting to re-enter the country using a fake ID. He is now serving a 15-year prison sentence for the 2020 murder.

On the same day Rios was arrested, a key witness in that 2020 case was found dead.

In 2020, Rios shot Fernando Mendoza Jr. for flagging Rios for speeding in a Fort Worth neighborhood on Roosevelt Avenue.

Angel Mendoza is Fernando's eldest child.

“I was daddy’s daughter. I was his only daughter,” she said. “I hate him. He’s so ruined.”

On September 18, Rios accepted a deal with the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office that gave him a 15-year sentence.

Abby Guerra is the daughter of Mayra Guerra, who was a passenger in Rios' vehicle when Rios killed Fernando.

Mayra cooperated with the police. According to police, their statements complemented the ballistic and DNA evidence.

“Fifteen years isn’t nearly enough time for a murder,” Abby said.

Rios was charged with murder. But while he was in custody in September 2023, court documents show he tampered with his ankle monitor and fled to Mexico. The police assume that he took Mayra with him.

Later that month, Mayra was found on the side of the road with shoelaces around her neck, according to a coroner's report in Chihuahua state. Her cause of death was asphyxia.

“My mother meant a lot to my family,” Abby said.

The same day Mayra was declared dead, Rios was arrested by federal law enforcement while crossing the U.S. border using a fake ID.

Fort Worth police say it is “proven by the overwhelming majority of evidence that Rios caused Guerra's death to prevent her from testifying.”

This evidence could also have been presented at trial. It's also waiting for more DNA evidence – particularly blood on Rios' clothing, which may have come from Mayra.

Both victims' families believe prosecutors rushed the 15-year deal.

“They rushed everything and didn’t wait for the DNA test,” Abby said.

“We even talked about the trial and he just said, ‘No evidence. No evidence. No evidence.' “I didn't know how her mother died, I didn't know about the blood on the clothes,” Angel said. “I feel lied to. I feel misled.”

Rios could not have been charged in the United States for Mayra's alleged murder in Mexico, but that evidence could have played a role in the conviction in Fernando's case.

“His children meant so much to him. They meant so much to him,” Angel said. “I’m trying to stay strong for my brothers.”

As Rios serves his 15-year sentence for Fernando's murder, Mayra's family hopes that he will eventually be extradited to Mexico and held accountable for her alleged murder.

“It’s just a waiting game from here,” Abby said.

In a statement to FOX 4, the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office said, “In each case, we evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of our evidence and make a decision whether to go to trial or file a lawsuit.”