SOUTHLAKE -- The murder at Southlake Town Square three years ago was the work of two hit men known as "Captain" and "Clorox," paid by a Mexican drug lord called El Gato.
The men knew exactly where to find what they were looking for at the upscale shopping center: Gulf drug cartel lawyer Juan Jesus Guerrero Chapa.
A federal prosecutor spun that riveting story in opening arguments against two men accused of tracking Chapa for the hit men -- like guides for hunters, the prosecutor said.
A witness testified a hooded gunman used a silencer to pump bullets into Chapa as he sat in his SUV. It took only six seconds. The getaway vehicle never came to a full stop.
Investigators found a tracking device attached to Chapa’s Range Rover. In Federal Court in Fort Worth, jurors heard that Jesus Ledezma-Cepeda and his cousin Jose Cepeda-Cortes tracked Chapa for months. Cepeda is a Mexican private investigator known for his ability to find people.
His attorney said Cepeda had to track Chapa in order to save himself and his family from El Gato. In fact, he said El Gato was also using a GPS device to track the trackers.
The attorney for Cortes said his client was merely a law abiding U.S. citizen helping his cousin because he speaks English. He said Cortes did not know the job would lead to murder.
Complicating it all, attorneys say Chapa was a government snitch, helping U.S. agents after the leader of the Gulf Cartel was captured.
A defense lawyer called the group one of the most powerful criminal organizations on the planet. The trial provides a glimpse of their power and reach.