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Three of the four suspects in the capital murder of 33-year-old Nilzuly Petit have been apprehended out of state and are currently awaiting extradition.
Ehiker Alexander Morales Mendoza, 38, Carlos Luis Zambrano Bolivar, 25, and Jhonata Nahin Toro Gonzalez, 22, have been charged with Capital Murder and two counts of Aggravated Kidnapping in connection with the August 24, 2024 murder of Nilzuly Arneaud Petit.
At 3:40 a.m. on the morning of August 24, 2024, the Farmers Branch Police Department was notified by a passing motorist of a body in the roadway in the 1100 block of Valley View Lane. Officers responded to the scene and located a deceased adult male, later identified as Petit, with a single gunshot wound to the head.
While at the scene, detectives were notified that two juveniles, who were possibly related to the victim, had been found walking on the service road of IH-35E at Corporate Drive in the City of Lewisville. Farmers Branch and Lewisville officers responded to that location, where they learned Petit and the two juveniles had been forcibly taken by several unknown suspects from an apartment complex on Fair Oaks Crossing in Dallas around 12:30 a.m. The suspects drove Petit and the juveniles to the location in Farmers Branch, where Petit was subsequently shot and killed. The suspects then fled the scene with the two juveniles in a light-colored four-door sedan before releasing the juveniles, unharmed, on the IH-35E service road.
Through investigation, detectives were able to identify two of the suspects, Carlos Luis Zambrano Bolivar and Jhonata Nahin Toro Gonzalez. They learned Petit was an associate of the suspects and allegedly involved in a complex ATM-theft operation targeting several locations nationwide. Following the latest ATM-theft offense, the suspects accused Petit of withholding portions of the stolen money from other group members. The suspects confronted Petit and demanded payment, which he was unwilling or unable to provide. Petit and the two juveniles were then forcibly taken from the apartment complex and driven near the 1100 block of Valley View Lane in Farmers Branch, where Petit was murdered.
On September 26, 2024, Farmers Branch detectives traveled to Aurora, Colorado, to interview two of the suspects, Bolivar and Gonzalez, who had been taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They were subsequently charged with Capital Murder and Aggravated Kidnapping and are awaiting extradition.
Detectives were also able to obtain one of Petit’s cell phones and, with the assistance of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), were able to identify a third suspect, Ehiker Alexander Morales Mendoza, as the alleged engineer of the ATM-theft operation. On October 11, 2024, Mendoza was taken into custody in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on outstanding warrants for Capital Murder and Aggravated Kidnapping out of Dallas County. Mendoza is currently awaiting extradition.
The investigation further revealed that Petit and the suspects are affiliated with the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua, and detectives believe this incident is unrelated to any other investigation or criminal case within the City of Farmers Branch.
Detectives are searching for a fourth suspect, Jhonny Jesus Martinez Serrano, 29. Anyone with information about the Serrano’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Farmers Branch Police Department at (972) 919-1406 or via email at pdinfoandtips@farmersbranchtx.gov. Individuals contacting the Farmers Branch Police Department with information can remain anonymous.
The Farmers Branch Police Department has been actively working with numerous agencies from various states, and are grateful for their support throughout this case. These agencies were instrumental in the investigation, search for, tracking of, and apprehension of the capital murder suspects. The Farmers Branch Police Department would like to thank the Department of Homeland Security Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Dallas Police Department; Aurora, Colorado Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Secret Service; Colorado Bureau of Investigations; Colorado State Police; South Dakota Prosecutors Office; Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS); Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center; Cuyahoga County, Ohio; Campbell County, Wyoming; Meade County, South Dakota; Dona Ana County, New Mexico; Dallas County Sheriff’s Office; Gillette, Wyoming Police Department; Middleburg Heights, Ohio Police Department; Belle Fourche, South Dakota Police Department; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Police Department; Lawton, Oklahoma Police Department; Irving Police Department; Greenville Police Department; and Carrollton Police Department, for their continued assistance with this case.
