|
Only have a minute? Listen instead
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A Hidalgo County convicted murderer who escaped from state custody was placed on the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list and cash rewards are now being offered for information leading to his arrest.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice announced Friday it is offering a $15,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Gonzalo Lopez, 46.
Lopez was being transported from a state facility in West Texas when he assaulted a corrections officer on the transport bus and fled from the vehicle in Leon County on Thursday, according to the TDCJ.
On Friday, the Texas Department of Public Safety also announced it was offering a $7,500 reward and had placed Lopez on its Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.
Law enforcement officers from TDCJ, Office of Inspector General and others continue searching for Lopez, who was convicted of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in Hidalgo County in 2006 and sentenced to life in prison.
The following year, Lopez was given a second life sentence after being convicted of attempted capital murder in Webb County.
Investigators initially believed he went westbound near Highway 7 and was about 1.5 miles from Interstate 45.
Lopez is 6 feet tall, weighs about 185 pounds and has tattoos on his back, abdomen and chest. He also has a burn scar on the right side of his neck.
Hidalgo County Sheriff J.E. “Eddie” Guerra said TDCJ notified him about Lopez’s escape. The Texas Transnational Intelligence Center put out a notification to be on the lookout and the sheriff contacted police chiefs in Weslaco and Mercedes, where Lopez is suspected to have family.
If Lopez is spotted, the public is asked not to approach him, but instead contact TDCJ OIG Crime Stoppers at (800) 832-8477 or (936) 437-5171. Information can also be shared with local law enforcement agencies via 911. Tips can also be sent through their website at: https://www.p3tips.com/TipForm.aspx?ID=911#English.
