HOUSTON – The suspect in the beating death of an elderly Pasadena man was arrested Friday in Louisiana.
Silvano Dejesus Echavarria, 23, was wanted on a capital murder charge in connection with the Aug. 5 death of 83-year-old Pedro Munive.
Investigators said surveillance video showed a man approach Munive after jumping over a fence from a neighboring complex. The pair had a conversation before Munive was hit and kicked several times by the man, investigators said.
Vance Mitchell, spokesman for the Pasadena Police Department, said two detectives from the department are in Louisiana to interview Echavarria.
Pasadena police said they got a tip that the suspect was hiding in Louisiana. They worked with the U.S. Marshals Service and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office to arrest Echavarria around 7:15 a.m. Friday at a residence.
Pasadena police said he will remain in Louisiana, jailed on the capital murder charge, until an extradition hearing takes place.
Family remembers loved one
Hearing the news, Pedro Munive's family said they are glad the suspect is off the streets.
"As humanity, we work hard to stay humble and take care of each other. So those types of people are better locked away," said Mario Munive, Pedro's grandson.
"[We are] thanking Pasadena Police Department and all related departments whether it's the U.S. Marshals, the FBI. It took a lot of people to get this individual and they did a heck of a job," Mario said.
Mario said there is still a lot of work to be done.
"We have to see what steps we have to take as a family. We're still interpreting all the information we're receiving," Mario said. "We have to take things one day at a time."
Most importantly, Mario says, he wants to make sure his grandfather is remembered for the kind, loving and good-hearted person he was.
"He was a quiet, humble, loving man," said Mario. "He was my father figure. He taught me, for the most part, how to be a man. And so he meant a lot to me."
In fact, Mario took his grandfather's last name. He said Pedro was the patriarch of their family.
"He believed in ambition. He believed that you were capable of doing anything that you put your mind to," Mario said. "He believed as a society we were capable of doing more."
He tells KPRC he hopes his grandfather's legacy and story will live on.
"Just remember him for him and not for what's happened," Mario said.