Man charged for 18-year-old murder case in Houston after fleeing to Mexico
Antonio Balencia Davalos (Source: Houston Police Department)
HOUSTON - After he ran away to Mexico, a man was extradited back to Houston for an 18-year-old murder.
53-year-old Antonio Balencia Davalos is charged for the murder of Santiago Gonzalez, 31, outside an apartment complex at 6320 Windswept Lane on August 19, 2004.
Around 11:20 p.m., the Houston Police Department officers responded to a call about a shooting at the complex.
According to police reports, a witness stated that Gonzalez was talking to a relative at the top of a stairwell close to his apartment. Davalos reportedly drove into the complex, parked near the apartment, and walked to the bottom of the stairwell Gonzalez was in.
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The two got into an argument, then Davalos pulled a pistol from his pants and shot at Gonzalez multiple times. He died at the scene, according to police.
Witnesses identified Davalos as the shooter and HPD homicide detectives filed a warrant for his arrest. They later discovered that Davalos ran away to Mexico.
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In January 2015, detectives said they got information on where Davalos was, but weren't able to get him back to Harris County.
It wasn't until five years later in September 2020, that HPD Cold Case Unit, the Harris County District Attorney's Fugitive Apprehension Section, and the United States Marshals Service started new efforts to extradite Davalos back to Harris County.
Davalos was sent back to Harris County on July 22 where he will stand trial for Gonzalez' murder.