LONGVIEW, Texas — Two people have been arrested in connection with the 2016 murder of a Longview businessman.
According to the Gregg County Sheriff's Office, Reza Kamali, 87, was arrested Tuesday for the murder of Ron Horaney. Horaney, who was 54 when he was killed, was also the cousin of Longview Mayor Andy Mack. Officials say Kamali's arrest was part of a murder-for-hire plot.
According to the arrest warrant obtained by the Longview News-Journal, Kamali hired Alfredo Lizcano, 38, of Longview, to kill Horaney because of a family dispute.
Horaney was gunned down in the doorway of his home on Tryon Rd., on Monday, May 30, 2016.
The warrant states an anonymous informant told investigators in June 2016, Kamali told them he wanted Horaney "killed up close and personal because of a family dispute." Kamali offered to pay a large sum of money for this person to murder Horaney. Later that same month, investigators saw Kamali meet with a man, who was later identified as Lizcano, at a Dallas fast food restaurant while performing surveillance on Kamali.
Investigators followed Lizcano's vehicle and he was stopped for a traffic violation. During that stop, Lizcano was identified as the person who met with Kamali. The front passenger was eventually identified as Lizcano's half-brother, the affidavit said.
On April 18, 2024, Lizcano's half-brother met with investigators to discuss what he knew about Lizcano's role in Horaney's murder. When shown a photo lineup that included a photo of Kamali, Lizcano's half-brother said, "that's the man that hired my brother," according to the document.
Lizcano lived in Longview around the time of Horaney's death. Lizcano told his half-brother that he was going to do a job and murder someone. Lizcano sent his half-brother to pick up a box that the half-brother believed to be a payment for the murder, according to an interview detailed in the affidavit.
On the day of the murder, Lizcano admitted to his half-brother that he killed Horaney. The half-brother said he did a Google search of the murder when it happened, and a forensic examination of his phone showed that to be true, the affidavit explained.
Lizcano's half-brother said Lizcano had a revolver-type firearm before the murder, the document read.
The infamous case has been plagued by scandal after a report from the Texas Department of Public Safety revealed Brent Davis, the former Texas Ranger who was investigating the crime, had a sexual relationship with Horaney's widow.
Kamali is being held in the Gregg County Jail on $7.5 million bond. Lizcano was booked into the Dallas County Jail earlier this week on $10 million bond. On Friday, he was booked into the Gregg County Jail.
The GCSO is planning to hold a press conference to release more information Monday, April 29, at 2 p.m. in the Gregg County Commissioners Courtroom.
This is a developing story and CBS19 will provide additional details as they're made available.