Suspect In Judge Shooting Surrenders

A wealthy former pawn shop owner wanted in the death of his estranged wife and the sniper shooting of a judge was arrested in Mexico, authorities said Friday.

Darren Mack was arrested late Thursday in the Pacific coast resort city of Puerto Vallarta, U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said in a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.

"The arrest of accused killer Darren Roy Mack proves that criminals cannot find a safe haven on either side of the border," Garza said.

Washoe County District Attorney Dick Gammick confirmed Mack, 45, was in custody but would not elaborate on the arrest.

On Thursday, Gammick said Mack had arranged to turn himself in at the U.S. consulate in Puerto Vallarta but had failed to show up.

Mack was charged with murder in the death of his estranged wife, whose body was found in a pool of blood in his town house garage on June 12. The same day, Family Court Judge Chuck Weller was shot in the chest as he stood near his courthouse office window.

Weller, who survived the shooting and has been recovering under guard at an undisclosed location, had been handling the couple's divorce case. No charges have yet been filed in his shooting.

The FBI added Mack to its list of "Most Wanted" fugitives Tuesday, the same day Charla Mack, 39, was buried.

He was considered armed and dangerous, "with access to all types of weapons," FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III said. A search warrant affidavit said officers found several boxes of ammunition and an empty gun case with a receipt for a Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle equipped with a laser sighting device at Mack's town house.

Mack was a co-owner of Palace Jewelry & Loan Co. Inc., a pawn shop, until he turned over control in 2005 to his mother, a lawyer for the business said. He had a net worth of $9.4 million as recently as 2004, according to court documents.

Weller released a statement Thursday, saying: "It is our greatest hope that no further bloodshed occur in this matter."

"We sincerely hope that law enforcement is successful in bringing this matter to a peaceful conclusion," the judge said.