4th Orosco murder suspect arrested

WINKLER COUNTY, Texas — The fourth suspect in the Feb. 3 murder of a Hobbs man whose body was found in a field between Hobbs and Lovington was arrested Thursday night in Texas after a police chase that covered more than 75 miles.

According to Ector County, Texas Sheriff Mike Griffis, the chase began in west Odessa when Diego Armando Garcia took off for Kermit on Highway

302.

CBS7-TV in Odessa reported at one point Garcia led them into Jal on N.M. Highway 18, before turning around and heading back toward Kermit.

G a rcia eventually stopped just back inside Winkler County, where he was arrested without incident and jailed.

Griffis said Garcia, 32, of Hobbs, will eventually be extradicted back to New Mexico to face charges of accessory to murder and kidnapping in connection to the murder of Josue Orosco.

According to authorities, Garcia was one of four men involved in the Feb. 3 murder of Orosco.

Police said Justin P. Bates, 24, of Hobbs, forcibly took Orosco to a field off Stiles Road between Hobbs and Lovington on Feb. 3 where he battered and murdered Orosco.

Bates was arrested and charged in early May by the Lea County Sheriff’s Office with murder and kidnapping, both first-degree felonies, aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, and possession of a firearm by a felon, a fourth-degree felony.

Police said Orosco, 21, suffered blunt force trauma to the head and a single gunshot to both his head and pelvis. Police said Orosco was left in the field to die. Some of his family members were informed of the killing by anonymous sources, while being warned not to look for him, authorities said.

According to court records, on Feb. 3, two days before Orosco was initially reported missing, Israel V. Beltran-Venegas admitted he was part of the group that took Orosco to the field, where Orosco was shot during daylight hours.

Beltran-Venegas, 27, of Hobbs, was charged Feb. 18 with kidnapping, a first-degree felony.

Two other men were charged with kidnapping Orosco. Police said Hector Aguilar, of Hobbs, was arrested for kidnapping, while Garcia had not been located.

On the night of Feb. 9, detectives searched the area for 2-3 hours where Orosco’s body was eventually located, but didn’t find any evidence of a body. Law enforcement found Orosco’s body the following day after searching the field off Stiles Road for five hours with all-terrain vehicles.

A Feb. 11 autopsy of Orosco’s body was followed up with a report of findings on May 3. Orosco’s cause of death was listed as gunshot wounds to the head and pelvis. Another significant contributing condition was listed as hypothermia. Orosco’s manner of death was determined a homicide.

Authorities believe Orosco was kidnapped from a Hobbs motel and taken to the field between Hobbs and Lovington where he was left to die. Police said it’s not yet clear if Orosco was shot before he was taken to the remote location.

Jeff Tucker may be reached at managingeditor@hobbsnews. com. CBS7 in Odessa, Texas, contributed to this report.