A 21-year-old man, accused of a brutal slaying in a South Austin gym parking lot, has been deported back to the United States from Mexico, federal officials said Tuesday.
Cristian Avila-Solis was arrested and charged with murder in the death of 36-year-old Jose Alberto Aguirre Castellanos, after the victim was gunned down in May 2022. The shooting occurred at an LA Fitness on West Slaughter Lane, an incident that ended in Castellanos' death at the scene despite life-saving efforts by responders, FOX 7 Austin reported. Avila-Solis is the third suspect identified in the ongoing investigation.
Following a 20-month manhunt, KXAN confirmed authorities in San Luis Potosi, Mexico apprehended Avila-Solis on Feb. 17 for immigration violations. He was promptly deported the next day and turned over to the North Texas Fugitive Task Force in Fort Worth.
According to the U.S. Marshals, the Austin Police Department had issued a warrant for Avila-Solis' arrest before enlisting the aid of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force to locate and apprehend him. Avila-Solis, a U.S. citizen, is believed to have fled to Mexico shortly after the fatal shooting, the task force then contacted Mexican authorities in a collaborative effort to capture him.
Avila-Solis now awaits extradition to Travis County after being booked into the Tarrant County Jail. His apprehension and deportation have drawn a close to the extensive international search for the alleged killer.
