Detectives trying to solve 2003 murder

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Abraham Macedo Sr. came to Austin from Mexico to live the American dream. He opened the Discoteca music store in East Austin and brought his wife and children to the United States to help with the business.

"They were wanting to try to do better for themselves," said APD Homicide Detective David Fugitt. "He was trying to protect his livelihood and ,unfortunately by trying to protect his store, it ended up costing him his life."

Macedo and his wife were in their store on Manor Road late on the night of Nov. 14, 2003 when they heard the front door chime. Sierra Macedo went to see who it was and was confronted by two masked men demanding money. She told them there wasn't any in the store.

"At that point one of the assailants went to the back of the store and confronted the husband," said Fugitt. "She heard multiple gunshots and then she heard the door chime as the robbers fled the store."

How to help

• Information can be passed along to authorities by calling the APD Homicide Tip Line at 512-477-3588 or Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477. Crime Stoppers is still offering a reward for information leading to arrests in the case.

Back inside the store, Abraham Macedo was dead as his wife cradled him in her arms; a robbery gone terribly wrong and the end of an American dream.

"It's just been -- it's been tough," said Fugitt. "We don't have a lot to go on."

But police do have a witness who was at an apartment complex across the street from the Discoteca. That witness saw the men go in to the store and heard the gunfire, then saw the men run outside and get in to the backseat of a car and speed away.

Because of that account, police know there is a third suspect -- the getaway driver.

According to the witness, the car was a black four-door sedan with dull paint, possibly a Honda or Toyota from the mid-1990s. The tail lights were squared off.

Fugitt will never forget Abraham Macedo. The veteran worked more than 200 homicides. This is the only one he hasn't been able to solve.

"It's a solvable case . There's not any question," said Fugitt. "I'm just hoping to solve it sooner as opposed to later."

APD released several 911 calls to KXAN from the night of the Macedo killing.  One from Abraham Macedo Jr., who was just a teenager when his father was gunned down. Another was a man who worked at a nearby business and went to help Mrs. Macedo after he heard the gunfire.

"Right at 9 o'clock, I was in my business and heard what sounded like gunfire," said the man who asked to be identified only as Jack. "When I got to the back of the store, this gentleman who I knew as her husband was laying on the floor. Ad I could tell right away that he had been shot and that things didn't look very good."

Jack said he has often wondered about the status of the case over the years.

"I guess the reason that I never heard anymore about it is because nobody ever got caught and that makes me feel sorry for the family," Jack said.

Over the years, police have chased down leads, including a group of young Hispanic men targeting Hispanic-owned businesses in the area around the time of the Macedo killing, but they were never able to connect those suspects to the murder of Abraham Macedo.

Forensic evidence was collected from the scene and Fugitt said it could be used to identify the suspects.

 "What I'm asking is if any member of the public has any information,," said Fugitt, "whether they think it's relevant or not, we're asking that they come forward and follow up on it."