On July 4, 2012, in Raleigh, North Carolina, 37-year-old Marisol Mendoza Rojas, a Hispanic female, was fatally shot by her husband, 47-year-old Fernando Palma Carias. The incident occurred at their residence on Manor Plantation Drive, where the couple lived with their twin 15-year-old sons. According to reports, an argument escalated, leading to the shooting. One of the sons witnessed the event, while the other escaped through a window to seek help from a neighbor. Carias fled the scene but later contacted his handler, a Wake County sheriff's investigator assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration , confessing to the shooting. He agreed to surrender but, upon arrival at a designated location, threatened suicide before eventually being persuaded to surrender by his attorney. Carias was subsequently charged with first-degree murder.
Further investigation revealed that Carias had been serving as a confidential informant for the DEA, providing information on local drug operations. He claimed that his involvement with the DEA and the disclosure of his informant status to Rojas contributed to the fatal confrontation. In 2013, Carias pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 16 to 21 years in prison. He is eligible for parole in 2029 and faces likely deportation upon release.
The couple was known in the community as hard-working business owners, operating several establishments, including check-cashing services and Hispanic food stores. However, reports indicated that their relationship had been strained, partly due to Rojas's refusal to marry Carias. The tragic incident left their twin sons without their mother and led to significant legal consequences for Carias.
