Texas man wanted in shooting death of ex-girlfriend's son, 12, arrested at southern border

A Houston-area man wanted in the death of the 12-year-old son of his ex-girlfriend was arrested at the Texas-Mexico border, authorities said Tuesday. 

Terry Rivera, 27, was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Brownsville Port of Entry on Monday, according to CBP. 

"As Spring Break traffic begins to pick up, our frontline CBP officers continue to maintain strict vigilance and apprehended a man wanted for capital murder," said Acting Brownsville Port of Entry Director Michael Reyes. "These types of apprehensions reinforce and perfectly illustrate the importance of CBP’s commitment to its border security mission."

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Rivera was wanted in the March 4 shooting death of Carlos Fernandez. Fernandez was killed after Rivera allegedly fired into the window of his former girlfriend's Harris County apartment. Fernandez, the woman's son, was struck and was pronounced dead at the scene, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. 

Terry Rivera, 27, was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border this week for allegedly killing a 12-year-old boy. (Cameron County Sheriff's Office)

Investigators initially believed Fernandez was asleep in the same room as his younger sisters when he was shot, FOX Houston reported. Further investigation revealed he was sleeping in the living room and ran into his sisters' room when he heard a commotion. 

"The fact that he went to investigate himself, to go see what was happening, to see what was the commotion, really speaks to his strength, the hero that he was, the young man that he was," Gonzalez said. "Again, I could only imagine how much greatness was going to come from Carlos Fernandez as he continued to grow up, and it's a loss for our community."

While at the border, Rivera, a pedestrian, was referred by border officers for a secondary inspection. During that examination, CBP officers used biometric verification and federal law enforcement databases to verify his identity, CBP said. 

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They then discovered he had an outstanding capital murder arrest warrant issued by the Harris County Sheriff's office. Rivera was arrested and handed over to Cameron County sheriff’s deputies to address the warrant. 

Rivera's mother, Alva Cornejo, was also arrested over the weekend and charged for allegedly hindering the apprehension of her son.