Man wanted for murder in Lubbock arrested in Abilene

LUBBOCK, Texas – A man who is wanted for murder in Lubbock was arrested Tuesday morning in Abilene. 

Michael Anthony Jimenez, 38, of Yoakum was charged with one count of murder and was held in the Taylor County Jail on a $150,000 bond. 

The Lubbock Police Department’s Metro Special Crimes Unit had been searching for Jimenez, who at first was considered a person of interest in the death of Cristino Gil Ortiz, 51.

Ortiz was found dead his Lubbock apartment, located in the 2100 block of 38th Street, on February 1

Jimenez was arrested by the Abilene Police Department. 

The Lubbock Police Department released the following information Tuesday morning:

Michael Anthony Jimenez, 38, is now in custody and charged with the murder of 51-year-old Cristino Gil Ortiz III. Jimenez was arrested at 2 a.m. on June 25^th in the 800 block of Formosa in Abilene, Texas by Metropolitan Special Crimes Unit investigators and the Abilene Police Department.

Ortiz was found stabbed to death on February 1^st inside his Lakeview Apartment located at 2102 38th Street.

Investigators with the Metropolitan Special Crimes Unit arrived on scene to immediately begin an investigation into the murder and discovered Ortiz, an Army veteran, had recently been placed in the apartment by Vetstar.

Early in the investigation, detectives identified Jimenez as a person of interest in the murder.

Jimenez, who was known to be homeless, was located in Abilene on June 24^th and based on the follow up investigation, an arrest warrant was secured in the early morning hours of June 25^th. Jimenez was then arrested for murder and booked into the Taylor County Detention Center.