Two Suspects Arrested, Charged in November Fatal Shooting at 9631 Jensen Drive

Charges have been filed against two suspects arrested in the fatal shooting of a man at 9631 Jensen Drive about 3:20 a.m. on November 10.  

One suspect, Alex Mejia Pineda, 33, is charged with murder in the 262nd State District Court.  A second suspect, Alex Herrera Calderon, 24, is charged with tampering with evidence – human corpse in the same court. 

The victim is identified as Erik Eduardo Zavala-Flores, 28.  

HPD Homicide Division Sergeant M. Holbrook and Detective R. Lujan reported: 

On November 10, Bear Creek Volunteer Fire Department personnel and San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to a vehicle fire in a remote area near Shell Oil Road in San Jacinto County.   A body was found inside a burning vehicle. The vehicle was linked to a missing person case in Houston.  

An autopsy by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences identified the deceased male as Mr. Zavala-Flores and determined his cause of death to be from a gunshot wound. 

A preliminary investigation determined Zavala-Flores was last seen at a bar at 9631 Jensen Drive.  Further investigation and witness statements determined Zavala-Flores was shot in the parking lot, loaded into his pickup truck and then driven away by a suspect.  A second suspect followed in his own vehicle.  The suspects then took Zavala-Flores to a remote area and set fire to his truck with him inside.  

Subsequent investigation identified Mejia Pineda and Herrera Calderon as the suspects in this case.  On November 20, Herrera Calderon was arrested by HPD SWAT officers and charged for his role.  On Monday (December 16), Mejia Pineda was arrested in Huntsville, Texas, by members of the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force.  He was taken to the Harris County Jail and subsequently charged.