Google Maps photo snares suspect
Montgomery County sheriff’s detectives used Google Street View to help identify a suspect in the killing of a New Caney man in July, documents show.
Authorities allege that Raul Najera, 25, ran over Ray Jasso, 28, at a July 2 birthday party in the 18200 block of Emerald Court in Houston.
Detectives believe Najera slammed a Chevrolet SUV into Jasso before fleeing the scene.
Days after Jasso was killed, detectives used Google Street View to check out an address for Najera’s father and came across a 2015 image of the SUV parked inside the gated driveway of the home. They went to the home and found the same SUV parked in the driveway, but with vehicle damage, investigators allege.
Najera was being held Thursday in the Montgomery County Jail with bail set at $500,000. His Conroe-based attorney, Darin Ray, declined to comment.
Investigators gave the following account of what they believe happened:
Najera had not been invited to the birthday party but was at it when he got into a fight with the homeowners. Najera was being told to leave when he hopped into an SUV and backed down the driveway.
As Najera made his way down the driveway, he struck an exit gate and pulled into a cul de sac
near the house, court documents show. Detectives say that’s when Najera backed over Jasso, who was in the middle of the cul de sac, before slamming into a parked truck.
During the course of the investigation, the mother of one of the party attendees came forward with video that her son had shot on his cellphone of the incident. Prosecutors said the video showed Jasso lying in the middle of the cul de sac with the SUV’s headlights shining at him.
Detectives said Najera then drove forward and ran over Jasso again — this time dragging him for some time before the victim eventually broke free. The SUV sped off.
Jasso was pronounced dead at Conroe Regional Medical Center.
Detectives knew the vehicle involved in the incident was an early 2000s model Chevy SUV but knew little about its driver. The video showed a glimpse of the driver’s shirt, detectives said, but only clearly showed the passenger.
Detectives pulled still shots of the SUV’s license plate from the video and ran them through nationwide databases. They determined it was registered to Najera’s father at an address in the 600 block of Frisco Street in Houston, just north of North Loop 610 and west of the Hardy Toll Road.
The detectives searched the address in Google Maps and utilized the Street View option on the web app. Google Street View allows users to look at streets across the United States as if users were driving down the road.
To their surprise, a Street View photo snapped in October 2015 showed the Chevy SUV parked inside the gated driveway of the home. Detectives said they went to the home a few days after the party and found the SUV in the same spot — only this time, the SUV had damage to one of its rear brake lights and rear panels.
The rear license plate also had been removed, and detectives later discovered fresh damage to the front of the SUV as well.
As detectives checked out the SUV from the street, the suspect’s brother came outside and talked to them. He said Najera was the only one who regularly drove the SUV, documents say. Detectives searched the home and found a shirt belonging to Najera that matched the shirt they saw the driver wearing in the video, they said. Detectives said they also found “biological” evidence on the vehicle.
Najera was arrested at that home July 5 after being charged with first-degree felony murder. A grand jury indicted him on that charge Tuesday.
“(Grand jurors determined) there was enough (evidence) to go forward with a trial,” Assistant District Attorney Vince Santini said Wednesday. “The grand jurors deliberated and said there was enough probable cause.”
Najera’s indictment includes an additional manner and means to murder, which essentially gives trial jurors two ways to convict him of the charge. One of the manners claims Najera “intentionally or knowingly” caused Jasso’s death; the other claims Najera caused Jasso’s death by “committing an act clearly dangerous to human life.”
Prosecutors are not required to prove intent on murder charges.
Najera was to appear in Judge Patty Maginnis’ 435th state District Court for an arraignment hearing Thursday.