Three more people have been indicted in connection with the brazen murder of a Mexican drug cartel lawyer on Southlake's town square last year, bringing to six the number facing charges, according to court records.
The additional suspects have not been arrested and are believed to be hiding in Mexico.
In May 2013, Juan Jesus Guerrero Chapa was shot 10 times, including nine times in his back, as he and his wife were getting into their Range Rover after shopping at the upscale shopping district. His wife was not injured.
Guerrero had been a lawyer for the now-jailed leader of the powerful Gulf Cartel and had been living quietly in Southlake with his family.
Jesus Gerardo Ledezma-Cepeda, 58, and his son, Jesus Gerardo Ledezma-Campano, 30, were arrested last month as they crossed into the United States in McAllen. The son's cousin, Jose Luis Cepeda-Cortes, 58, was arrested in nearby Edinburg, where he had lived for years.
The names of the additional defendants are not available because the new indictment was not posted on the federal court's website. It was unclear whether a judge ordered the document sealed.
Federal prosecutors are considering whether to seek the death penalty against the three men in custody. The case may be complicated by the fact that the three additional suspects are believed to be in Mexico.
If they are arrested there, Mexican authorities generally will not send anyone to the United States if they face the death penalty.
The original charges were interstate stalking resulting in death. The new charges include conspiracy to commit murder for hire, according to the records.
U.S. District Judge Terry Means set a February court hearing to discuss a deadline for prosecutors to decide whether they will ask for the death penalty.
The entire case is being prosecuted under extraordinary secrecy. Key information in the original criminal complaint was redacted, and the judge noted that the February hearing will be held in his chambers away from public view.
