Jose Arellano-Rascon, a 42-year-old Hispanic man, and his partner, Angela Santiago, 45, were a couple from Tonganoxie, Kansas. In the early morning hours of November 20, 2021, their lives were cut short in a burst of gunfire that shattered the quiet of an Olathe neighborhood. Around 1:30 a.m., police responding to reports of gunshots in the 1000 block of East Fredrickson Drive discovered a tragic scene.
Inside a vehicle with multiple shattered windows, they found Jose and Angela, both of whom had been fatally shot. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Earlier that night, the couple had been enjoying live music at Black Agave Tequila Mexican Cuisine & Bar in Lenexa. The owner recalled that they had been customers a few times, and Jose had even performed music there on one occasion. The investigation that followed their deaths pointed toward a targeted attack, with police believing there was a connection between the victims and their killers.
Investigators quickly identified a suspect vehicle, releasing photos of a gray Ford F-150 pickup truck with a covered bed, tinted windows, six-point star wheels, and running boards. Police stated they were searching for four to five men who were believed to have been in the truck. In the days that followed, authorities also circulated a surveillance photo of a man in a red jacket and baseball cap, identifying him as a person of interest who might have information about the double homicide.
For nearly a year, the investigation continued until a major breakthrough was announced on September 30, 2022. Olathe police arrested three men in connection with the killings: Salvador Garcia-Zarate, 39; Jesus Enrique Cereceda-Soto, 40; and Axel Arellanes-Vara, 37. All three were charged with capital murder, and bond for each was set at $10 million. At the time of the arrests, police reiterated their belief that the victims and suspects were known to each other.
The cases against the three men proceeded through the justice system over the next several years. In 2023, Jesus Enrique Cereceda-Soto’s charge was amended to premeditated first-degree murder, to which he pleaded guilty and was sentenced. In 2025, Salvador Garcia-Zarate entered into a plea agreement and was sentenced to serve 165 months consecutively on two counts of intentional second-degree murder. The final suspect, Axel Arellanes-Vara, went to trial. On September 9, 2026, a Johnson County jury found him guilty of capital murder. His sentencing was scheduled for November 2026.
