Police make two additional arrests in Anthony Trejo murder case

Police confirm the human remains unearthed last month on Fort Bliss property have been identified as those of 33-year-old Anthony Trejo.

Investigators Wednesday also announced they arrested two additional individuals and charged them with Tampering with Evidence. Phillip Esquer, 40; and Elvira Maria Navarette, 52, were booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility on Bonds of $10,000each.

The Crimes Against Persons (CAP) unit continues its investigation and anticipates more arrests.

Police said Trejo was killed September 12, 2016. His remains were found on Fort Bliss property in mid-October approximately two miles east of the 11700 block of Railroad.

The murder investigation began when the SWAT team, in September, raided the residence at 8912 Ortega on an unrelated warrant. While investigating, police allegedly found evidence a murder had taken place inside the residence.

Police arrested 33-year old Roberto Favela, 41-year old Romuldo Trujillo, 29-year old Steven Ramirez, 36-year old Erlinda Lujan, and 20-year old Adrian Herrera on murder charges.

A “source of information” told police Favela bludgeoned Trejo with a metal dumbbell inside the residence at 8912 Ortega, a complaint affidavit states. “The victim was assaulted to the point of death,” the document further states.

A second source of information told police he witnessed Trujillo making a phone call earlier that day and say, “we have him over here.” The source said Lujan later showed up at the home on Ortega and told the victim, “I am the (expletive) boss.”

A source told police, that after the assault, Trejo’s body was wrapped in a cloth, then bound with electrical wires. Sources told police the co-defendants cleaned the carpet on the floor where Trejo was beaten. The co-defendants allegedly removed the carpet. Police recovered the bloody carpet and the dumbbell, court documents state.

After the assault, the co-defendants allegedly placed Trejo’s body in the back of a trunk and left the residence on Ortega street, the document states.

When Lujan was arrested, she allegedly told police Trejo was taken to the residence at 7631 Alameda and placed in a bathtub. Lujan said it appeared Trejo was still alive at that point.

Investigators learned several people accused of stealing from the co-defendants were kidnapped and taken to the home on Alameda street, where they were shown Trejo’s body in the bathtub. The co-defendants allegedly threatened those kidnapped by pointing at Trejo’s body.

Lujan told police Trejo’s lifeless body was placed into the back of an SUV three days later. The co-defendants allegedly drove to the 11700 block of Railroad, where they disposed of the body.

The complaint affidavit states one of the drivers led police to a shallow grave in the desert area near the 11700 block of Railroad. Investigators recovered multiple trash bags with a dismembered body. The remains are those of Trejo, the document states.

Police said Favela was arrested on an unrelated criminal warrant and told investigators he, along with Ramirez and Trujillo, assaulted the victim inside the home on Ortega. Favela was wearing a watch belonging to the victim, police said.

When Ramirez was arrested, he allegedly told police he worked for “La Linea,” had a blacklist, that Trejo was on that blacklist, and had to “be taken out as trash with other drug users.”