July 05--RALEIGH -- A six-hour standoff between a murder suspect and Wake County sheriff's deputies ended at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday with his arrest.
Officers charged Fernando Palma Carias, 47, with first-degree murder in the Tuesday shooting death of his wife, Marisol Mendoza Rojas.
Carias' lawyer, Nan Guirguis, helped end the standoff at 4505 Falls of Neuse Road, according to authorities.
Guirguis convinced Carias to turn himself in to deputies and helped set up a meeting place, according to a sheriff's office news release. But when Carias arrived, he left his car and put a gun to his head. Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said, hours later, Guirguis "talked Carias into putting the gun down and surrendering."
After Rojas was fatally wounded at 9:20 p.m. Tuesday at the couple's home on 5729 Manor Plantation Drive, the sheriff's office sent out a bulletin advising Carias was driving a 2004 burgundy Toyota Camry with 30-day license tags and was considered armed and dangerous.
During the standoff, traffic on Falls of Neuse was diverted between New Hope Church and Millbrook roads, according to Raleigh Police Department spokesman Jim Sughrue. Businesses, including 24-hour gas stations and fast-food restaurants in the area were not accessible during the incident. Raleigh police allowed traffic to resume on Falls of Neuse about 6:30 a.m.
Carias is being held at the Wake County jail. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also has placed a hold on Carias until his citizenship is established.
Copyright 2012 - The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.
