Man who fled to Mexico arrested in connection to 2002 murder

MONTGOMERY COUNTY – U.S. Marshals said a capital murder suspect is once again in custody and back behind bars in Montgomery County.

Martin Tellez, 44, was out on a $500,000 bond when he removed a GPS monitor earlier this month and fled to Mexico, investigators said.

“We’re happy that everybody cooperated,” said Deputy U.S. Marshal Alfredo Perez. “Nobody else got hurt.”

The suspect spoke with a Texas Ranger over a period of several days before agreeing to walk back across the border in Brownsville and give himself up on Sunday, Perez said.

“This is a true example of what multiple agencies can do when everyone combines their knowledge and their assets,” Perez said.

Court records show Tellez is accused of shooting and killing Subir Chatterjee during a robbery at a convenience store in Oak Ridge North in February of 2002.

Roughly 17 years later, investigators followed the suspect to a restaurant and matched DNA from a fork, coffee cup and piece of toast to blood found at the crime scene, court records show.

Tellez was arrested in December 2019 and bonded out in March 2020, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.

“Knowing that the suspect will face justice is just a great relief for my family,” the victim’s nephew, Neil Chatterjee, said over the phone.

The family still remembers the man they lost.

“People loved to see him,” Neil Chatterjee said. “He remembered their names. He remembered their families and was just a very kind, caring person.”

A detective who worked the case said the convenience store where the crime happened was located near Interstate 45 and Robinson Road but has since been demolished.

Neil Chatterjee said he would call the detective every year on the date of his uncle’s death to get an update on the case.