Murder suspect Bryan Riojas Avila was arrested this morning in Oklahoma, following the fatal stabbing of one victim in Denton on Friday night.
At 8:06 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3, officers were flagged down in the 3500 block of N. Elm Street regarding a male who had been stabbed in the chest at a residence in the 200 block of Benjamin Street. The victim was transported to a local hospital, where he was declared deceased as a result of the stab wounds.
Detectives interviewed witnesses to the stabbing and identified Avila as the suspect. Using US Marshal resources, detectives were able to track the suspect to a mobile home park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. With assistance from the Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force and local Oklahoma agencies, Avila was taken into custody without incident. Detectives are currently working with the Oklahoma City Police Department to coordinate Avila’s extradition back to Denton.
While the victim has been identified by family members, the victim’s name is not yet being released pending official identification from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
We would like to extend a thank you to the agencies who took Avila into custody, the eyewitnesses who provided accurate information that could be used to identify and locate Avila, and our own Denton PD Detectives whose diligent policework directly led to the swift arrest of this murder suspect.