Jose Rivera
Courtesy/Laredo Police DepartmentA murder suspect was arrested in the evening on Thursday, May 25 according to the Laredo Police Department for an incident which occurred on March 27 in Laredo.
Juan Jose Rivera III, 19, had been wanted on a murder warrant for the past two months for the murder of Juan Humberto Zuazua, 37, which occurred March 27 at the intersection of McPherson Road and Saunders Street. It was the third murder of 2023 in Laredo. An arrest warrant for the charge of murder was issued on March 28 by 111th District Judge Monica Z. Notzon.
The Laredo Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested Rivera on Thursday. He was extradited from San Antonio where LPD says he fled after the murder. He was charged with Murder-Felony 1 and was being booked and taken to Webb County Jail on Thursday evening.
Laredo Police officers responded around 4:47 a.m. on March 27 to the Stripes Convenience Store located at 1120 E. Saunders St. for a “fight in progress” after several callers reported there being a man on the ground bleeding and seeing two people running from the scene. Responding officers encountered a man dead on the sidewalk in the 3800 block of McPherson Road who was later identified as Zuazua.
The investigation revealed one male wearing black who was later identified as Hector Tovar Jr., 24, crossed the street to speak to a friend of Zuazua. Tovar allegedly told Zuazua’s friends to not get involved, police said. Meanwhile, Rivera fatally stabbed Zuazua. Rivera was identified based on an anonymous tip, according to authorities.
Tovar was charged March 31 with failure to report a felony, and Webb County Jail record showed he was released on bond later that day.