Authorities at the border arrest man accused of killing his ex's 12-year-old son, sheriff says

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Authorities at the U.S.-Mexico border detained the man whom Harris County deputies accused of killing his ex-girlfriend's 12-year-old son in the middle of the night.

Terry Bryan Rivera, 27, spent a week on the run after Carlos Fernandez was shot to death inside his family's Cloverleaf-area apartment on March 4.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez confirmed the arrest on Monday evening.

"Outstanding work by all. May 12-year-old Carlos Fernandez rest in peace," Gonzalez posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, hours after Carlos was laid to rest.

Gonzalez added that Rivera was detained at the Brownsville point of entry and was being held in Cameron County.

Word of the arrest also came hours after Rivera's mother, 51-year-old Alva Cornejo, appeared before a judge after her arrested on a hindering apprehension or prosecution charge.

PREVIOUS REPORT: Mother of suspect accused of murdering ex's son in Cloverleaf area arrested, charged, HCSO says

Dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, Cornejo faced a Harris County judge for the first time early Monday morning.

She said just a few words, all in Spanish. It was revealed she is not a U.S. citizen and is from El Salvador. She currently has an ICE immigration hold.

Rivera is charged with capital murder in Carlos' shooting death. He's accused of coming into the family's Cloverleaf apartment through an open window before opening fire.

The boy's mother, Ashley Rostro - who is also Rivera's ex-girlfriend - told ABC13 that Carlos was trying to protect his mother and younger siblings when he was shot four times.

Rostro said she begged authorities to protect her from her abusive ex, but she feels like that didn't happen. She says Rivera killed her son with a gun he stole from her home when he broke in and threatened her just days before.

SEE ALSO: Cloverleaf 12-year-old murdered while defending his family from mother's abusive ex, she says

According to new details revealed in court, Cornejo met with her son just hours after the boy's murder. She reportedly told officers that she told her son to turn himself in, but instead, he jumped out of a car and ran away. She claims she hasn't heard from him since.

However, during the investigation, officers reportedly found contradicting evidence while searching her cellphone.

Officers reportedly obtained images of Cornejo's car going north on Highway 59 in Montgomery County at 11 a.m. She told officers she was upset about her son and decided to go to the casino to gamble, but then turned around and came back when she realized she didn't have any money.

At 12:21 p.m. that same day, Cornejo reportedly texted someone else, asking them to pick Rivera up.

Investigators also reportedly found an Internet search of "How to travel to the border of Mexico" from 5 p.m. that same day on her phone.

The judge set her bond at $25,000.

In 2014, Rivera was charged with strangling a female family member but pleaded down to a lesser offense. The victim obtained an emergency protective order. In 2015, he was charged with shooting a gun out of a moving vehicle. In 2023, he was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon but, again, pleaded guilty to a lesser offense.

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