Juan Carlos Cruz

Juan Carlos Cruz, a 15-year-old Hispanic male, was fatally shot in Austin, Texas, on the evening of Sunday, April 25, 2021. Just before 5:30 p.m., a 911 call reported a shooting in the parking lot of a mobile home park in the 8100 block of Research Boulevard, near U.S. 183. When police and medics arrived, they found Juan with critical injuries. Austin-Travis County EMS personnel performed life-saving measures, but he succumbed to his wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses told investigators they saw Juan approach a red SUV before he collapsed to the ground as the vehicle sped away. The investigation also revealed that during the incident, a nearby residence was struck by multiple bullets. The owner of the home stated that his daughter, who was in a dating relationship with the eventual suspect, was not at home at the time.

Using surveillance footage and witness statements, homicide detectives identified 18-year-old Gregorio Vences-Benitez as a suspect. Two days after the shooting, acting on a tip about his whereabouts, the Lonestar Fugitive Task Force located and arrested Vences-Benitez without incident.

Vences-Benitez was charged with first-degree murder. The case proceeded to trial, and in September 2022, a jury found Gregorio Vences-Benitez not guilty of murder in the death of Juan Carlos Cruz.

The death of Juan Carlos Cruz was the 27th homicide in Austin for 2021. Following the acquittal of the only person charged in connection with his death, the case remains unsolved as of September 2022.