Noe "Lil Loco" Torres, a fugitive suspect in a fatal 2005 drive-by shooting of a 10-year-old boy in Clovis, thought he might get help from Gov. Susana Martinez.

He thought wrong.

Just days after he sent the governor a rambling letter in all capital letters -- invoking God and Jesus in proclaiming his innocence -- police in Chihuahua, Mexico, arrested Torres as he was attempting to leave a religious compound.

"This guy wanted me to send him a message, and he wanted me to send him a message through the media," the governor said at a Tuesday news conference, surrounded by members of the victim's family.

"So Noe, here is my message," said Martinez, a former prosecutor. "I don't help child killers."

Torres, 32, has been charged with murder, but he has not been convicted.

Described by the Clovis News Journal as "one of Clovis' most wanted fugitives," Torres was indicted in 1995 on a murder charge in the slaying of Carlos Perez, 10, and an attempted murder charge involving Carlos' older brother, Ruben Perez, but he fled before police could apprehend him.

Four others involved in the shooting were tried and convicted for their roles in the killing. One of those, Edward Salas, escaped from the Clovis jail after his conviction. He's still at large, Clovis District Attorney Matt Chandler said Tuesday.

Torres and his accomplices originally targeted Ruben Perez when they went to the Perez residence on Sept. 15, 2005, and shot nine rounds into the window of the bedroom Ruben Perez shared with his younger brother. According to the Clovis newspaper, "Police say the shooting was retaliation for an argument that took place hours earlier between Clovis High School students Orlando Salas and Ruben Perez."

Carlos Perez was killed by a bullet that struck him in the head. According to a "timeline" provided by the Governor's Office, Torres allegedly told two female friends that they "got the wrong one" and did not mean to kill the little boy.

Martinez said her office received the letter from Torres on Jan. 18. She said she wasn't familiar with the case, but an aide who saw the letter knew about it.

In the letter, Torres called his arrest warrant "bogus" and said "the witnesses brought against me false."

Torres told the governor, "I want you to know that I do not enjoy being a fugitive niether [sic] infamous, truly it is a shame and very embarrassing. I ask you please help, I have a family to look after. God knows I'm innocent & has been protecting me all this time. I could not have kept dodging the authorities if I was guilty. Instead, the Lord is my refuge."

On Jan. 19, Martinez called Chandler -- who was the Republican candidate for attorney general in 2010, the same year Republican Martinez was elected governor. Chandler provided her with documents in the case.

As fate would have it, Martinez was having dinner that night to discuss economic development with a group of Mexican governors, including Gov. César Duarte of Chihuahua -- where state and federal law enforcement believed Torres was hiding. Martinez gave Duarte a copy of the letter as well as a packet of information supplied by Chandler.

Chandler said police from Chihuahua arrested Torres on Jan. 25 as he was attempting to leave a "religious compound," which he apparently visited every day. Chandler declined to describe the compound.

That night, a man claiming to be Torres telephoned the Clovis News Journal saying he was in custody of Mexican authorities in Mexico City, the paper reported Tuesday. The caller said he'd been in contact with Martinez and wanted to resolve the issue "peacefully."

The News Journal said Torres had called the paper frequently through the years. Chandler said Torres had called him, too, always proclaiming his innocence and "wanting to try the case" over the phone. Torres also had called the FBI, a judge in Clovis and other law enforcement involved in the case.

Chandler said he expects the Mexican government to extradite Torres in the next 60 to 90 days.

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com. Read his political blog at roundhouseroundup.com.