Kumari Shreya
In Fox’s ‘America’s Most Wanted,’ viewers get to know about various cases where the suspects are yet to be apprehended by the authorities. In season 27, episode 3, we get to know more about Abel Acosta, a teenager who was responsible for the death of three young men, with his father seemingly aiding him in the crime. Given the fact that the police had yet to catch Abel when the story was covered on television, the world cannot help but be curious if any progress has been made on that front.
Abel Acosta’s Attempt at Revenge Led to Fatal Consequences
Abel Costa is the son of Richard Costa Jr., both of whom drove in a white pickup truck to a Texaco store on December 26, 2021. The store in question is located at 700 West Walnut Street in Garland, Texas, close to the city’s downtown area. After the father and son duo arrived near the store, the surveillance footage showcased that Richard at first walked into the store, looked around a bit, and then went back into the vehicle.
After Richard was back in the truck, Abel sneaked into the store with a gun in hand and started shooting. His main targets seem to have been two teenagers, in particular, 17-year-old Rafael Garcia and 16-year-old Ivan Noyola. Reportedly, Abel had been involved in an argument with the two teenagers, which may have been the motivation behind his actions. Another victim of Abel’s shooting was 14-year-old Xavier Gonzalez, who did not seem to be connected with Abel in that manner. These three teenagers ended up passing away due to the injuries sustained in the attack.
Additionally, another 15-year-old had also been wounded but survived the attack. The then-14-year-old Abel had fired about 20 rounds in nine seconds before rushing back to the pickup truck, which was then driven away. The family members of the murdered teenagers were extremely shocked by what had unfolded. In particular, Lluneii Lopez, Xavier’s mother, was quite vocal about how she had become worried when her son did not pick up her call.
“Tried to call him. He wouldn’t pick up. He was always picking up on the first call. That’s where I kind of got concerned. When we got there, I took off running to the gas station. They didn’t let me go into the gas station at all. And that’s when I turned around, and I saw my sister,” Lluneii shared during her appearance on the Fox show. “And I went over there to her, and I asked her, ‘Xavier. He’s gone.’ And I was like, ‘No, it’s not true.’ And she was like, ‘Yeah, he’s gone.’ And they were asking me what kind of clothes he had, and that’s when they told me it was him there, and he passed away.”
Abel Acosta Has Still Not Been Arrested
Following the shooting in the Texaco store, Abel Acosta seemingly disappeared. The authorities have been searching for the juvenile shooter since then relentlessly, but there have been no positive results on that front as of writing. However, the same cannot be said for Richard Acosta Jr, who seemed to have served as an accomplice in the shooting. The man in question was arrested on December 28, 2021, after he surrendered to the authorities himself.
Initially, Richard claimed that he had no idea what Abel had planned. However, his actions that were captured in the surveillance video of the store seemed to suggest otherwise, even indicating that he may have confirmed the presence of the intended victims in the store and then relayed the information to his son. As such, Richard was charged with capital murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence in the state of Texas.
In February 2023, Richard was found guilty of capital murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Presently, Richard is serving his sentence at the prison unit named Michael, which is located at 2664 FM 2054, Tennessee Colony, Texas. An unnamed 14-year-old had also been arrested in days following the actual shooting but was then released back to the authorities with no charges being levied against him. It is believed that the teenager may have known about the attack in detail, but not much regarding the same was released by the authorities.
As for Abel, he would be about 16 years old as of writing and continues to evade the authorities. While his family members have denied any knowledge of his current whereabouts, some remain certain that this might not be completely accurate, especially in regard to Abel’s mother. In fact, investigators believe that the family may have helped Abel flee to Mexico and are deliberately keeping the information about the same close to their hearts.
Authorities confirmed that they did get reports of Abel being sighted in Mexico, but while some of these tips were legitimate, others only led them to people who looked somewhat similar to him. Nevertheless, the officials have continued to ask the public to share any information they might have regarding the case with them. This request has been echoed by the family members of the three teenage boys who fell victim to Abel’s shooting.
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