A suspect, Venancio Cortez Miramontes, is in custody for the 1997 shooting death of 15-year-old Luis Andrea Parra. On May 17, 1997, Parra died after he sustained a single gunshot wound.
Cortez Miramontes, then 21 years-old, fled the residence before police arrived.
According to Chandler Police Detective Seth Tyler, twenty-two years to the day of Parra’s death, Miramontes was arrested without incident in Fauquier County, Virginia.
“Miramontes believed that he had gotten away with murder,” said United States Marshal David Gonzales. “His arrest was the result of determination and dedication by Chandler Police Detectives, working in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals Service, in ending Miramontes’ 20-year run. Investigators never forgot the 15-year-old victim, and his family.”
Chandler Police Chief Sean Duggan said, “The tenacious efforts of our Robbery/Homicide Unit when investigating cold cases has been highly successful. This particular effort once again shows the men and women of the Chandler Police Department are determined in their pursuit of justice.”
Tyler reports that Miramontes is currently being held on the 1997 arrest warrant in the Fauquier County Jail. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office will eventually return Miramontes to Arizona. When he is returned, Miramontes will be booked into the Maricopa County Jail on one count of Manslaughter.