Federal and local law enforcement agencies are intensifying their search for Abel Elias Acosta, an 18-year-old suspect accused of a fatal shooting in Garland that occurred in December 2021. The FBI has announced a significant increase in the financial incentive for information regarding his location, raising the total reward to $70,000.
The reward increase includes a new $50,000 contribution from the federal bureau. Acosta has been at large since the incident that resulted in the deaths of three teenagers. Investigators believe the suspect may currently be in Mexico but continue to maintain connections to the North Texas region.
Authorities are urging the public to come forward with any details, regardless of how minor they may seem, to assist in bringing closure to the victims' families. Garland is located approximately 6 miles southeast of Richardson.
In a separate legal development, the state's highest criminal court has declined to intervene in a Dallas County death penalty case. The court denied an appeal filed by a death row inmate despite claims from another individual who stated he was responsible for the 2008 shootings involved in the case.