Jose Francisco Panchito Haro, 43, was found dead from gunshot trauma inside a motel room on North Grand Avenue in Nogales in the early hours of January 11, 2022. He was remembered by family in an obituary as a son, brother, father and uncle; a funeral Mass was held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Nogales at the end of January 2022.

Nogales Police treated the death as a homicide and soon identified a suspect, Gustavo Aguilar Chavez. Officers later spotted a vehicle linked to him, attempted a traffic stop, and pursued the car; the chase ended when the driver abandoned the vehicle, exchanged gunfire with officers, and fled on foot. Chavez was found behind a home, wounded, taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and booked into the Santa Cruz County jail with bond reported at $1 million. Prosecutors filed a first-degree murder charge in Santa Cruz County Superior Court.

A jury trial in early 2025 ended in a mistrial on February 15, 2025, after jurors deadlocked on the first-degree murder count. There is no published report of a final resolution to the criminal case. If anyone knew Haro or has information about the killing, please share what can help the investigation.