Denton fatal stabbing suspect arrested in Oklahoma, police say

DENTON, Texas — A man suspected of fatally stabbing another man in Denton was arrested in Oklahoma on Saturday morning, Denton police said in a news release. 

The Denton Police Department (DPD) said officers were flagged down at approximately 8:06 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3 in the 3500 block of N. Elm Street regarding a man who had been stabbed in the chest at a residence in the 200 block of Benjamin Street. The victim was taken to the hospital, where he was later declared dead from the stab wounds.

Witnesses identified the suspect to police as Bryan Riojas Avila. Denton police said – with U.S. Marshal resources – detectives were able to track Avila to a mobile home park in Oklahoma City, Okla. 

Avila was taken into custody without incident by the Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force and local Oklahoma agencies, police said. Detectives are working with the Oklahoma City Police Department to coordinate Avila’s extradition back to Denton.

“We would like to extend a thank you to the agencies who took Avila into custody, the eyewitnesses who provided accurate information that could be used to identify and locate Avila, and our own Denton PD Detectives whose diligent policework directly led to the swift arrest of this murder suspect,” Denton police said in a statement.

Denton police said the victim’s name is not yet being released pending official identification from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.