The FBI has brought a fugitive murder suspect back from Mexico to Texas to stand trial for the 1991 murder of Brenda Smith in Sealy.
The effort to locate and capture Blas Tierrablanca included local, state, federal, and Mexican law enforcement authorities.
As part of a multi-agency effort, the FBI’s Bryan Office and Mexico City Office assisted the Sealy Police Department, the Austin County District Attorney, the Department of Justice, and Mexican law enforcement in capturing Tierrablanca in Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, in September 2017.
On the morning of May 5, 1991, officers from the Sealy Police Department were dispatched to 1241 N. Circle Drive. Upon arriving, Sealy police officers located the body of 35-year-old Brenda Smith, who had been stabbed multiple times.
The resulting investigation identified Blas Tierrablanca as the primary murder suspect and a warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest.
Tierrablanca had eluded police agencies and crossed the United States border into Mexico, where he is believed to have lived for the past 26 years.
In July 2017, the FBI’s Bryan Office obtained an Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution (UFAP) warrant for Blas Tierrablanca from a federal magistrate judge in the Southern District of Texas. The FBI consequently offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to Tierrablanca’s arrest.
The FBI placed Tierrablanca in the custody of the Texas Rangers.
Tierrablanca will stand trial for the 1991 murder of Brenda Smith in Austin County.