Carrollton Police Arrest Suspect In Lyft Imposter Murder
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CARROLLTON (CBS11) - Police announced the arrest of Donald Velasquez, 44, a man they say posed as a Lyft driver then killed the man who got in his car last month.
Family members met at the Carrollton police station Thursday to thank investigators and the public for all the work that led to the suspect. Police say in the end it was some low-tech detective work that made all the difference.
Velasquez's resemblance to the police sketch released last week is striking. It's just part of the detective work that Esperanza Balaguera says has given her family some relief.
"I just ask God to make justice, that he will have to pay for what he did. Nothing will return my son back," Balaguera said.
Investigators say Velasquez pretended to be the Lyft driver that 34-year-old Arnold Pinilla ordered to pick him up with his girlfriend outside a Carrollton restaurant in July. Police tell us the couple soon realized the driver was an imposter, but after they got out of the car the driver stabbed Pinilla.
"The biggest and most important question that I have is why, what was the reason," Balaguera said.
The suspect's motive remains unclear.
Police would only describe the case as a crime of opportunity. The opportunity that led detectives to Velasquez came when police found another car matching the suspect vehicle. When they drove that car under the same surveillance camera that caught on video the suspect's car, they were able to identify the suspect's correct make and model.
"There is a lot of great highly advanced technology in the field of law enforcement, but in this case we drove a car in front of a surveillance camera and took a look," Carrollton Police spokesperson Jolene DeVito said.
That narrowed down the search and led to Velasquez's home in The Colony. The victim's family says they're grateful to have found him, so they can grieve Pinilla's loss in peace.
"Always smiling. He was very loved. And to the guy who did it, I want to wait for the day that we can see your face to see what you have for a soul. I forgive you for doing this to my brother... but I feel sorry for the life you will have from now on," Pinilla's sister Claudia Reyes said.
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