The Austin community is still reeling from the December 2024 murder of Mario Damian-Rayas, and developments have emerged in the case against the suspect, Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Gomez. According to FOX 7 Austin, the 26-year-old suspect was arrested on March 13, and charged with first-degree murder. Rodriguez-Gomez is alleged to have shot Damian-Rayas to death while he sat in his car at the Chevy Chase Downs Apartments on Huntwick Drive.

Investigators managed to swiftly connect the gun used in the slaying to other crimes in the area. Court documents reveal that the fatal weapon was linked to two additional incidents: an aggravated assault in May and a deadly conduct case at the University of Texas at Austin in July. Surveillance footage placed the suspect at the scene, and ballistic evidence definitely matched shell casings from these events.

Additional information obtained through an arrest affidavit indicates that Rodriguez-Gomez also lived just blocks away from where the murder took place. This proximity, along with the evidence, thickens the plot surrounding the case that sees Rodriguez-Gomez facing additional warrants for deadly conduct out of Bastrop County. According to MSN, Damian-Rayas' killing is presently classified as Austin's 70th homicide of 2024.

As the legal proceedings unfold, Rodriguez-Gomez, who the U.S. Marshals describe as an undocumented Mexican national, faces immigration repercussions on top of the murder and assault charges. His attorney, Rhett Braniff, claims, "If he is undocumented, a conviction could lead to deportation or other immigration consequences." He intends to "scrutinize" the evidence, stating, "Our investigation is just beginning, and we are confident that we will be able to show the insufficiencies of the State’s case when the time comes," Braniff told FOX 7 Austin. Currently held in the Travis County Jail, Rodriguez-Gomez's bond is set at a combined $1,360,000.