Nashwa Bawab
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Dallas ICE agents arrested the owner of a North Oak Cliff bakery earlier this month, according to a Tuesday announcement. ICE said agents identified Manuel Tellez, who is a Mexican citizen, as “removable” in 2022 after he was convicted of the killing of Anthony Moreno, a local artist.
Moreno’s body was found three blocks from Maroches Bakery, which Tellez owns, suffering from multiple stab wounds and having been set on fire. The evening before, Moreno had been seen visiting with Tellez at the bakery, where the store owner appeared on Instagram Live interviewing the artist about his sugar skull artwork. Investigators believe Tellez and Moreno were “romantically interested” in the same woman, spurring the crime.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, neighborhood security footage caught Tellez’s movements on the night of the murder, including the burning of Moreno’s body which was so severe his identity could not be immediately confirmed by investigators. Footage also showed Moreno wearing white gloves similar to those found at the scene.
In June 2023, Tellez opted out of a jury trial and pleaded guilty to the lesser crime of manslaughter and was sentenced to eight years deferred adjudication probation.
ICE Dallas arrests Mexican national convicted of killing man and setting body on fire without prison time https://t.co/2jWdqFhhUv pic.twitter.com/pkbdCxO3OW
— ERO Dallas (@ERODallas) March 11, 2025
“He received no prison time for this conviction and was placed back into the community with community supervision for eight years,” the ICE release said.
“This is an egregious offender,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas acting Field Office Director Josh Johnson added on social media. “We are grateful for our federal partners within the Justice Department and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for helping us remove this high priority target from our communities.”
Conducting the “largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America” has been a top priority for President Donald Trump. According to ABC News, just over half of the arrests made by ICE agents nationally in the first month of Trump’s second term were classified as “criminal arrests.” ICE has not responded to media requests asking for a more detailed breakdown describing the types of crimes those arrested have been accused of.
Tellez remains in ICE custody, the agency said, pending immigration removal proceedings ahead of deportation.
