A third man is now in jail. Police say he took part in a deadly robbery outside a San Antonio bar. It happened back in February. Cops say the man was on the run for more than six months.
U.S. Marshals and San Antonio police caught Santos Alvarez on August 21. He is 22 years old. People know him by the nickname "Motion." Officers found him on Gillette Boulevard. That is near South Zarzamora Street. He now faces a capital murder charge. That is the most serious charge in Texas. It means police say he killed someone during a robbery. It can bring life in prison. It can even bring the death penalty. His bond is set at $500,000. That is how much money he must pay to get out of jail before trial.
The case goes back to February 8. Police say a group of men walked up to Jon Kross Perez-Levaeh that morning. He was 26 years old. The men found him outside an after-hours bar. It sits on Rigsby Avenue near Elgin Avenue. It was about 4:30 in the morning. Witnesses told police the men acted friendly at first. Then they turned on Perez-Levaeh. They punched him. They knocked him to the ground. Someone tore the necklace off his neck. A person nearby tried to help him. One of the men pulled out a gun. Perez-Levaeh was shot several times. He died right there on the street.
Police say five men took part in the attack. One of them was Joseph Atwell. He was 20 years old. Atwell died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound before police could arrest him. Another man, Angel Puente, was arrested earlier. He is also 20. He faces a capital murder charge too. Alvarez is the third man taken into custody. Police say two more men are still out there. They have not named them yet.
Detectives built the case piece by piece. They used what witnesses saw. They used video from security cameras. They looked at social media posts too. Cell phone records helped them track Alvarez. Records placed him near the bar that morning. He was there from about 4:45 a.m. until just before 7 a.m. That is when the shooting happened. Investigators say Alvarez fired the shots that killed Perez-Levaeh.
For months, this case sat unsolved. Perez-Levaeh's mother is Heavyn Sanchez. She spoke out about her son's death back in May. She wanted people to know what happened to him. "I want people to know what happened here," she said. "We're still seeking to get justice." She said she would keep pushing for answers no matter how long it took. "My son's story is now becoming a legacy," she said. "We're gonna continue it."
The bar where Perez-Levaeh died runs past normal closing hours. People call this an after-hours club. The city later ordered the property secured. San Antonio's Development Services Department gave that order. Shootings near after-hours spots have worried East Side neighbors for years. Families in the area have asked the city to do more. They want tighter rules for businesses that stay open late without enough security.
Right now, two suspects sit behind bars. Puente and Alvarez both face capital murder charges. Atwell is dead. Police still have not named the last two men they believe helped in the attack. The case stays open. Detectives are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 210-224-7867. Tips can stay anonymous.
For Perez-Levaeh's family, the wait is not over. Two men are locked up now. Two more are still free. His mother has said she will not stop asking questions. She wants every person tied to her son's death caught and brought to court.
