In the quiet border town of Douglas, Arizona, a grim discovery was made on August 15, 2021. Ruperto Morales, a 42-year-old Hispanic man, was found deceased in his family's home by his mother upon her return from an out-of-town event. He was seated in a chair at the dining room table, having been shot twice in the head. In a chilling attempt to conceal the crime, his body had been sprinkled with a powdered household cleaner.
The home had been ransacked, and several items were missing.
The investigation quickly zeroed in on a suspect, 19-year-old Raul Peralta Navalles. Investigators were led to him after a local teenage girl came forward, telling police she had unknowingly given Navalles a ride from the scene of the crime on the morning of the murder. She reported that he had loaded several boxes from the Morales residence into her car and had admitted to her that he 'shot a man twice.' This crucial information led authorities to an apartment where Navalles had been staying. There, they discovered a. 40 caliber handgun and several items that had been reported missing from the Morales home.
Following the murder, Navalles fled to Mexico, prompting a multi-agency manhunt involving the Douglas Police Department, the FBI, and Mexican authorities. He was eventually captured in Agua Prieta, Sonora, and arrested on October 11, 2021, at the U.S. Port of Entry in Douglas. Navalles was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of first-degree murder, including premeditated murder and murder during the commission of a burglary and armed robbery. Initially, he claimed to have shot Morales in self-defense following a night of drinking and drug use. However, the autopsy report showed no signs of a struggle.
Ultimately, Raul Peralta Navalles pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced to a prison term of at least 20 years for his role in the death of Ruperto Morales. As part of his plea agreement, he will also serve five years of probation upon his release and was ordered to pay nearly $8,000 in restitution to cover the funeral expenses and other costs incurred by the victim's mother.
