Man wanted for capital murder, kidnapping in Dallas arrested in Santa Teresa

SANTA TERESA, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Federal law enforcement agents in Santa Teresa arrested 38-year-old Ehiker Mendoza-Morales on an outstanding capital murder warrant out of Dallas County.

Officers found Mendoza-Morales in a house on Ireland Drive in Santa Teresa on October 11, 2024.

Mendoza-Morales is accused of murdering 33-year-old Nilzuly Arneaud Petit in Farmers Branch, Texas on August 24, 2024. ABC affiliate WFAA reported at the time that Petit and two children were forcibly taken from an apartment. WFAA reports the suspects then shot Petit and left. Police found the two children walking unharmed near a highway.

The arrest is listed as "gang related" and court documents reveal that Mendoza-Morales had weapons with him at the time of his arrest. Court documents state that Mendoza-Morales is a resident of Aurora, Colorado.

Officers booked Mendoza-Morales into the Dona Ana Detention Center on a $10,000,000 bond.