A Corpus Christi man wanted for murder fled to Mexico and has been a fugitive for nearly 18 years. He shot and killed a man over a $20 bet on a boxing match. He posted bail and ran. Now, federal court records show new activity in his case, filed today in the Southern District of Texas.

His name is Maximo Reyes. Public records show he is 45 years old and was born in March 1981.

On April 16, 2006, just after midnight, Reyes was at 601 NAS Drive in Corpus Christi. He was with Elias Sanchez Sr. and others, watching a boxing match on pay-per-view TV. The two men had a $20 bet on the fight.

That bet turned deadly.

Reyes pulled out a gun and fired four shots at Sanchez Sr. Two of those shots hit the victim in the upper chest. Sanchez Sr. died at the scene.

That is not all.

Sanchez's son, Elias Sanchez Jr., tried to help his father. Reyes fired at the son too. The bullet left two holes in the young man's shirt but did not enter his body. The son survived. The father did not.

Reyes was caught a short time later, near the intersection of Holly Road and Rodd Field Road in Corpus Christi.

Under Texas law, Murder is a first-degree felony that can mean five to 99 years or life in prison. He was also charged with Aggravated Assault, a serious felony charge.

Then, on June 8, 2006, Maximo Reyes posted a $100,000 bond from Nueces County Jail. He walked out. And he kept walking.

By September 24, 2007, Reyes was supposed to face a jury. His trial in Cause Number CR06001435-C was called. He did not show up. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

A man charged with killing someone over twenty dollars had skipped town.

Investigators got word that Reyes had crossed the border into Mexico to dodge prosecution. Craig Hill, the chief criminal investigator at the Nueces County District Attorney's Office, confirmed it. Reyes was wanted for Murder and Aggravated Assault. He had fled the state to avoid justice.

The U.S. Marshals got involved. On July 3, 2008, the Nueces County Sheriff's Office asked federal marshals to help track Reyes down. Deputy U.S. Marshal Alfredo Lujan took the case.

On July 7, 2008, Deputy Marshal Lujan got word that Reyes was living in Mexico.

On August 1, 2008, a federal judge in Corpus Christi signed a criminal complaint against Reyes. The charge: fleeing the state to dodge a murder case. That is a federal crime. Federal Judge B. Janice Ellington signed it. Lance Watt, an Assistant U.S. Attorney, approved it.

That 2008 complaint laid it out clearly. Reyes knew murder charges were waiting. He left Texas. He crossed into Mexico. He kept going.

For nearly 18 years, that case sat open.

On June 29, 2026, a new document was filed in that federal case, Case Number 2:08-mj-00594, in the Southern District of Texas. That is the first known court action on the case in close to 18 years.

It was not clear right away what the new filing means. But cold cases like this do not get new filings for no reason.

The victim, Elias Sanchez Sr., never got his day in court. His family has waited since 2006.

A life ended over a $20 bet and a boxing match on TV. The man responsible posted bail, crossed the border, and disappeared. His case now appears to be moving again.

El Tejano will continue to follow this story.