A roofing contractor shot and killed an employee during a dispute over $1,500 in unpaid wages and then fled to Mexico for five years before being arrested and extradited to face murder charges, prosecutors said over the weekend.
Victor Garcia, 45, is charged with first-degree murder in the June 21, 2020, shooting death of Alberto Frayre-Estrada, 40, outside Garcia’s home in Gage Park.
According to prosecutors, Frayre-Estrada had been working as a roofer for Garcia and was paid between $1,500 and $1,800 in cash every Friday. When Frayre-Estrada didn’t receive his pay on June 19, 2020, he began texting and calling Garcia to arrange payment, prosecutors said in a detention filing.
Two days later, Frayre-Estrada told a friend he had reached Garcia, who agreed to meet him and pay him, prosecutors say. Surveillance video captured Garcia arriving at his home, followed seconds later by Frayre-Estrada and his friend, according to the filing.
Witnesses saw the two men arguing about the money before the dispute turned physical, prosecutors alleged. During the fight, Garcia allegedly pulled a small black revolver from his waistband and shot Frayre-Estrada. Prosecutors said Frayre-Estrada’s friend wrestled the gun away from Garcia and called for help, but Frayre-Estrada collapsed on the sidewalk and later died.
Police recovered a five-shot revolver at the scene.
Garcia fled in the black Nissan immediately after the shooting, surveillance video shows. Two days later, his wife called the police to report that he had been in a fight and she hadn’t seen him since, prosecutors said.
About three weeks after the shooting, police learned that Garcia had fled to Mexico and they secured an arrest warrant. Garcia was ultimately arrested in Mexico this year and handed over to U.S. authorities, the detention filing said.
After being advised of his rights, Garcia admitted to being at the shooting scene but denied bringing the firearm, claiming it belonged to Frayre-Estrada, according to prosecutors. Garcia gave police varying accounts of the incident, at one point claiming the victim ran at him with the gun and at another stating “the gun just went off,” prosecutors alleged.
Judge Susana Ortiz granted the state’s detention petition.
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