Attorney for woman charged in 2012 Arlington cold case murder seeks bond hearing

The attorney for Mayra Velasquez hopes his client, who is charged with capital murder, could possibly get a bond hearing as early as Tuesday. 

Velasquez met with her attorney Monday morning after she was arrested last week, after DNA testing connected her to the 2012 murder of Irasema Chavez. She is in the Tarrant County Jail, charged with capital murder. 

Defense questions capital murder charge

"I think she's just completely paralyzed right now," said Frank Seller, who represents Velasquez. "I went to visit with her this morning and she asked why this was capital murder. It was a shock to her when she was told that it was because a TV was stolen. I think her words were, 'What would I want a television for?'"

Velasquez was working as a real estate agent when she was arrested 14 years after the murder of Chavez, described as a friend, in the victim's Arlington apartment, where authorities say she was stabbed 100 times. 

Attorney disputes surveillance video evidence

Video from the victim's security camera shows someone entering Chavez's apartment around the time of the murder. Sellers has insisted that the figure doesn't match the description of his client. 

"And 10 minutes after the person we see in the video enters that apartment, the surveillance is cut, so I think the most likely conclusion to be drawn, is that the person who cut the surveillance, more likely than not, did the killing," Sellers said.

DNA testing led to arrest in 2012 cold case, police say

This is the second time the FBI has stood alongside the Arlington Police Department to announce a breakthrough in a cold case, using investigative genetic genealogy (IGG), one of the most valuable tools that law enforcement has today.

Arlington Police announced the arrest last week after using IGG on a drop of blood found at the murder scene.

It's one of multiple cold case murder arrests announced in North Texas this month. 

The attorney for Velasquez claims, without evidence, that he doesn't believe local authorities cracking so many cold cases is a coincidence. 

"It sure does seem like there was a coordinated effort over the last three or four weeks to put out a lot of news cases about cold cases being solved and this is one of those caught up in that dragnet," said Sellers. "I think there must have been a government grant of some sort that went to put these cases together and try to solve these cold cases."

Genealogy team brought in to assist in the case 

In 2016, Arlington police provided Parabon NanoLabs with a DNA profile developed from blood found at the scene. Using that profile, Parabon created a prediction of the suspect's physical appearance.    

In November 2024, the Arlington Police Department's homicide unit consulted the FBI Dallas Field Office regarding the use of IGG in the case. The FBI agreed to assist through its IGG program.

In April 2026, IGG's work produced a significant lead that detectives used to develop further evidence. Police did not disclose the nature of the new evidence, but it was sufficient to obtain a warrant for Velasquez's arrest.

In a news release, police said Velasquez was "at one time a close friend of Ms. Chavez." They said Velasquez lived just a few miles from the crime scene. 

DNA sample taken from suspect's trash

In May 2026, detectives obtained a sample of Velasquez's DNA from discarded trash and sent it to a crime lab for further testing. 

The results showed Velasquez's DNA was a match to the blood droplet recovered from the bedroom television stand in Chavez's home, detectives confirmed. 

"Detectives note it is common during stabbing attacks for an assailant to inadvertently cut themselves, which is how they believe Ms. Velasquez's blood was left at the crime scene," Arlington Police said in a news release following a press conference on Wednesday detailing how the case unfolded. 

Police said the motive for the stabbing is still unclear. 

Arlington Police declined to comment on the attorney's claims. Velasquez is requesting a bond hearing through her attorney, who expressed confidence that a judge will grant it under strict conditions.