Three men have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a Garland motel parking lot. According to the Garland Police Department, suspects Jose Luis Trivino-Cruz, Jesus De Nazareth Bellorin-Guzman, and Yosguar Aponte Jimenez are facing capital murder charges.
They are each being held on a significant bond of over $1 million. The oldest, Trivino-Cruz, charged with capital murder, aggravated robbery, and indecent assault, has a $3.255 million bond. Bellorin-Guzman, charged with capital murder and aggravated robbery, has $2.25 million. The youngest, Jimenez, is charged with capital murder, only with a $1.5 million bond.
Fatal Shooting
According to Garland police, officers received reports of a shooting and arrived at the parking lot of a Motel 6 shortly after 5 a.m. on June 20, 2025. The responding officers found a wounded 48-year-old Santiago Lopez Morales. He was immediately transported to a North Texas hospital, but unfortunately, he died.
The investigation revealed that two of the suspects were involved in a robbery at a different motel earlier that morning. Police questioned four witnesses at the scene at the Motel 6. They all arrived at the motel in the exact vehicle, including Morales. According to the arrest affidavit, one of the witnesses claimed to have been robbed at another hotel. She shared that with Morales, and he took it upon himself to message the suspects, posing as a prostitute. He set up a meeting with them at the Motel 6.
Timeline of Events
Surveillance footage was captured and detailed a timeline of events surrounding the shooting. At around 4:21 a.m., a pickup truck enters the motel parking lot and backs into a space where it stays for the entire incident. About 20 minutes later, a Toyota sedan enters the parking lot and parks on the opposite end. Then an Acura backs into a parking lot closer to 5 a.m.
After the final car pulls in, a Hispanic male, suspect 1, steps out of the Toyota and walks towards the truck in the parking lot. He is seen on his phone, presumably on a call, and arrives in front of room 137. He knocks and continues to do so while using his phone for several minutes. A man dressed as a security guard, now identified as Morales, hops out of the pickup truck with a gun in his hand. He approaches the suspect and wrestles him to the ground.
Two other males exit Morales’ truck and approach them, wrestling while suspect 2 exits the passenger side of the Acura. Morales’ men begin throwing rocks at him when a gun is pulled on them. Instead of shooting those two, he goes up to Morales and points it at him. A flash spans across the video, and then Morales falls to the ground.
After Morales is lying wounded, suspect 3, who drove the Acura, pulls up to the scene, where suspects 1 and 2 get in and they flee the scene. The other two men jump into the truck and follow the suspects out of the parking lot. They returned shortly after to find Morales lying motionless and excessively bleeding. Two women got out of the truck, wandered around, and presumably talked on the phone with 911. Shortly after, the police arrived and the investigation began.
Assault at the Deluxe Inn
Three hours before the shooting, an aggravated robbery was reported at a Deluxe Inn in Garland. Detectives confirmed the same Acura and Toyota from the shooting were also present at the Inn around 2 a.m. The victim reported that two Hispanic men banged on her door until she opened it. They forced their way in, pointing a gun at her head. She said they forced her into the bathroom, forced her to undress, and assaulted her. They stole her earrings, cash, a gold medallion, and her identification card.
They ordered her to stay in the bathroom until they left. She waited 30 minutes before calling the police, most likely as a result of shock and fear. She confirmed with the police that the men seen in the surveillance footage from the Motel 6 were the same men who assaulted and robbed her.
What is Next
The investigation is ongoing while the police gather more evidence and piece it all together. The three suspects are in Dallas County Jail on high bond and an immigration hold. Officials are not certain where the suspects came from, but Jimenez reportedly told them the trio is responsible for 25 other robberies in the area. Trivino-Cruz also informed police of two robberies that occurred before the shooting.
Anyone with additional information is urged to contact the Garland police at (972) 485-4840.
