Fugitive sought in 2009 McAllen murder indicted after federal charge dropped

A man who’s been wanted since 2009 in a capital murder case has been indicted in his state case. The indictment follows the dismissal of his federal case after authorities exhausted all resources in finding this man.

Alvaro Dario DeArmas, 68, was the main suspect in the capital murder case of 48-year-old McAllen resident Alberto Marin, but fled the country to avoid prosecution, according to court documents.

Alberto Marin was fatally shot during an attempted robbery after two armed men who were informed by DeArmas that the victim had a safe that contained gold and money.

The two men were identified as brothers Alberto Ramos Pizano, of Pharr, who died in 2011, and 58-year-old Jose Antonio Pizano, of Mission.

At around 9:21 p.m., on April 9, 2009, McAllen Police officers responded to 3401 West Ulex Avenue in reference to a “shots fired” call, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Once there, officers found Alberto Marin lying on his living room floor bleeding profusely from gunshot wounds. He was transported to the McAllen Medical Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

“It was later determined that a .357 caliber revolver was used to shoot and kill Marin,” the affidavit said..

Police interviewed the victim’s family who advised that two masked men had forced their way into the residence and began demanding money from the safe. One of the men struck Alberto Marin with his handgun while demanding the money, according to a federal criminal complaint.

DeArmas had been facing federal charges for the murder, which were dismissed in early July after authorities had exhausted all investigative means to track him down.

When Alberto Marin denied having a safe, he was shot multiple times.

The two fled the scene, but one officer managed to find Alberto Ramos Pizano running westbound across Ware Road along Xanthisma Avenue, according to the complaint.

Near that area, police found the .357 revolver used to shoot the victim, two blood stained gloves, a black mask, clear shipping tape, plastic restraining ties and a blood covered shirt, The Monitor reported at the time.

According to the federal complaint, Alberto Pizano was found sweating profusely and had fresh blood stains on his hands and clothes.

He voluntarily spoke with detectives stating that the target of the robbery was the safe located in Alberto Marin’s garage which allegedly contained “lots of gold and money.”

“Pizano advised that several individuals were involved in the robbery, but the main suspect was identified as Alvaro Dario DeArmas,” the complaint said.

Alberto Pizano added that DeArmas resided on the victim’s brother’s property, namely Oscar Marin.

He said that DeArmas assisted the brothers by providing them specific information on when Alberto Marin would be leaving and or returning back to his residence from church as well as providing the location of the safe.

According to the complaint, the information Alberto Pizano provided wasn’t made public and the only way he would’ve known is if it came from someone who knew the family.

On April 10, 2009, Oscar Marin and DeArmas went to the McAllen Police Station and contacted detectives. An interview was conducted with Oscar Marin while Alvaro DeArmas waited in the lobby.

During the interview, Oscar Marin confirmed that DeArmas was living on his property, that he befriended him about six years ago and that he considered him a good friend to him and his family.

Oscar Marin also said that DeArmas assisted Alberto Marin in installing the targeted safe in his garage. He added that he and his family went to church prior to the robbery and had invited DeAramas who declined to join.

At the end of the interview, detectives went to the lobby to look for DeArmas but found that he had already left. McAllen officers began to search for him but came up empty handed.

“Since leaving the McAllen Police Department, DeArmas has not been seen and has not returned to his residence where [he] left all his personal belongings behind,” the complaint said.

That document goes on to say that information obtained during the investigation revealed that DeArmas had fled to Reynosa in an attempt to avoid prosecution and was residing with his girlfriend.

Jose Antonio Pizano was later arrested in Mission after police utilized surveillance footage collected from a Wal-Mart in Mission when he reported his vehicle missing the day after the shooting, The Monitor previously reported.

The minivan that Jose Antonio Pizano reported missing was similar to the one Alberto Pizano told police was used in the crime the night before, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Officers traced the gloves found near the crime scene back to a Wal-Mart in Mission which had been purchased 11 days before the shooting.

The surveillance footage showed the Pizano brothers entering the store together to purchase a pair of the same gloves found at the scene, the newspaper reported.

On April 18, 2009, McAllen police took in Jose Anotnio Pizano for questioning. He denied having knowledge on the gloves or ever traveling to Wal-Mart for that purchase and tried to distance himself from his brother, stating that they were estranged, despite living next door to each other.

Cellphone records from DeArmas revealed that he had spoken to Alberto Pizano the night of the shooting, which led investigators to believe Jose Antonio Pizano was lying. He was arrested the following Friday at his Mission residence.

Alberto Pizano was found incompetent to stand trial and died in 2011 in a mental health facility. As for Jose Antonio Pizano, he was sentenced to life in prison where he currently remains.

An arrest warrant is still out for DeArmas and he is scheduled to appear before state District Judge Marla Cuellar by the end of August for an arraignment hearing.

When asked about DeArmas’ status, Hidalgo County District Attorney Toribio “Terry” Palacios said authorities are not sure where he is and he doesn’t expect to show up to his hearing.

“Hopefully he crosses the border or gets stopped for a traffic stop,” Palacios said. “We’ll get a hold of him.”

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