EXCLUSIVE: Juvenile Suspect to Stand Trial as Adult in Capital Murder Case of Two San Angelo Teens

SAN ANGELO, TX — The Sheriff arrested a suspect in the capital murder case revolving around the death of Zane Lopez and Juan Guerrero. He was previously held as a juvenile suspect.

Neo Kristofer Perez, 17, of San Angelo, was arrested just before 11 a.m. yesterday by the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office, according to the jail booking report. He is charged with Capital Murder of Multiple Persons and a $500,000 surety bond has been set. Previously, Perez was held as a juvenile. We believe Judge Brad Goodwin agreed to allow Perez to be tried as an adult.

The two boys, Zane Lopez and Juan Guerrero, both 16 and 17 years old respectfully, at the time of their murders, were gunned down in an alleyway near 22^th St. in north San Angelo on March 26, 2016.

Seven total suspects have been arrested for the murders. Out of those individuals arrested, three were identified as Eric Ramos, 18, Fred Angel Garcia, 17, and Gilberto S. Reyes, 18. The other suspects arrested, including Perez, were held as juveniles at the time. Now Perez will be tried as an adult.

According to the arrest affidavit for the original seven arrested for the murders, one of the juvenile suspects told police investigators that Reyes “had given the green light on Zane Lopez.” The “green light” means that permission had been given to kill the targeted subject.

On May 17, Fred Angel Garcia, 18, accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to the lesser charge of murder instead of capital murder. He was sentenced to 35 years in the state pen. At his hearing a fight broke out on the courthouse steps as emotional family members of Juan Guerrero confronted Garcia’s family.

On July 20, Ramos, 19, admitted to driving the getaway car that night. In court, Ramos pled “not guilty” to the Capital Murder of Multiple Persons charge and "guilty" to two counts of murder offered in the plea deal.​ He was sentenced to 30 years in the state pen.

The capital murder trial for Reyes, 19, is scheduled to begin on October 16 at 10 a.m.

How Neo Perez fits in to the murder case is not known. We could not obtain the probable cause affidavit prior to court offices closing Friday. San Angelo police spokeswoman Tracy Gonzalez confirmed Perez’ capital murder charges are related to the murders of Zane Lopez and Juan Guerrero. The San Angelo police led the investigation of the capital murder.