In the early morning hours of December 6, 2018, gunfire in a Springdale, Arkansas neighborhood ended with a car crashing into a house on Pioneer Street. Responding officers found 19-year-old Javier Nicolas-Rodriguez of Bethel Heights inside the vehicle; he had died from a gunshot wound and his death was investigated as a homicide.

Investigators identified 18-year-old Anjel Antonio Torres as the primary suspect, who fled the state. Authorities say Torres was aided in his escape by 18-year-old Jose Mendoza; tracking of Mendoza’s cell phone led to surveillance footage at a gas station in Arizona showing the pair’s vehicle. On December 9, 2018, California Highway Patrol officers stopped that vehicle in San Bernardino County and arrested both men, who were then returned to Arkansas.

Torres faced charges including first-degree murder, committing a terroristic act, and aggravated assault; Mendoza was charged with hindering apprehension for assisting the escape.