Selena Gomez partners with Univision to create Spanish series on 2013 Southlake murder

Selena Gomez, in partnership with Univision, will be producing a new series in Spanish centered around the 2013 Southlake murder of cartel attorney Juan Guerrero Chapa.

The three-part docuseries, “The Cartel Among Us (Mi Vecino, El Cartel),” will follow the aftermath of Chapa’s death, including a focus on “how the murder uncovered the tentacles of the Mexican cartels in the U.S., as well as the clash between the affluent world of Southlake, Texas, and the seedy lifestyle of drug cartels that turned the city upside down,” a news release from Univision said.

“Through unique access to the lead prosecutor of the case and extensive archival resources and interviews, the series unveils a family drama involving murdered fathers, blood feuds, and a quest for vengeance, in addition to the many twists and turns that continue to unfold today as the search for justice continues,” the release said.

Univision, which plans to launch its own streaming service next year, will debut the show on the service with Gomez as an executive producer. The show will also serve as her first Spanish-speaking series.

“As a true crime fan, I was immediately captivated when I heard the story surrounding the homicide of Juan Guerrero Chapa. Not only did it take place close to my hometown in Texas, but it was also a story unlike anything I’ve ever heard,” said Gomez, who is from Grand Prairie, in the news release. “I am excited to partner with Univision and really pull back the layers of his double life.”

Guerrero had gone out for ice cream with his wife at Southlake Town Square on May 22, 2013, when a Toyota Sequoia pulled up behind their Range Rover. A man got out of the truck, walked up to Guerrero as he sat in the passenger seat of his vehicle and repeatedly shot him. He died near the fountain and gazebo.

His wife, Julia Tijerina de la Garza, testified in court nearly three years later that Guerrero had lived in fear for more than two years, hiding his family in a gated community and often staying at nearby hotels. He’d gotten two phone calls, one in spring of 2011 and another in February 2013, informing him that “they had found him, they knew where he lived and they wanted to kill him,” Tijerina testified.

In 2016, Jose Luis Cepeda-Cortes, who was 60 at the time of his sentencing, was given two life sentences in prison for his part in Chapa’s homicide. Cepeda-Cortes was found guilty of interstate stalking, conspiracy to commit murder for hire and tampering with documents or proceedings.

Cepeda-Cortes and his cousin Jesus “Chuy” Gerardo Ledezma-Cepeda were charged in connection to the murder. Ledezma-Cepeda was also convicted on single counts of interstate stalking and conspiracy to commit murder for hire.

A Mexican man named Jose Rodolfo Villarreal-Hernandez and known as “El Gato,” who reportedly hired the cousins, still remains at large. He was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in October 2020.

This report includes information from the Star-Telegram’s archives.