A “complicated relationship” may have resulted in a fight that left a man with seven stab wounds and his wife’s arrest for failure to report a felony for claiming not to know the suspect who she hugged and called “babe” during the altercation, police say.
The investigation began on Monday when Mission police responded to the South Texas Health System standalone hospital for a report of a stabbing.
Medical staff told police that man had been stabbed on the right side of his face, sustained 3 wounds to the left side of his neck, a wound to the right side cheek, another to the left back shoulder and one to the right lateral chest area, according to a probable cause affidavit.
“The officer made contact with the victim and described him as having limited speech and partially responsive,” the affidavit states.
Police then called his wife, 30-year-old Mission resident Marisol Garcia, who said she saw the stabbing and observed the suspect run through an alleyway, investigators say.
“She further stated that she did not remember seeing or hearing any vehicles,” the affidavit states.
Later on Monday, detectives again met with the alleged victim, this time at McAllen Medical Center, where he said he was in his living room watching television with his children when he heard a knocking noise outside of his home.
“He then walked to the side of the door of the residence and when he opened it the suspect tried to force his way in,” the affidavit reads.
The man told police he forced the suspect, later identified as 22-year-old Alamo resident Ricky Gomez, outside and began to fight with him, according to police.
“He then stated that after being stabbed several times his wife got in-between them and hugged the suspect and called him ‘babe,'” the affidavit says.
That document says the man chased Gomez to the front of the residence followed by his wife but Gomez fled the scene in a white Chevrolet Cobalt.
“The victim stated that his wife was not concerned for him, and she took 10 minutes to come out of the house before driving him to the hospital,” the affidavit states. “The victim also states that once she got him to the hospital, she dropped him off through the emergency entrance and left.”
Investigators say that because Garcia called Gomez “babe” and hugged him, she failed to provide identifying suspect information to law enforcement, which police say is a failure to report a felony.
She was arrested at the McAllen Medical Hospital that same day when police arrived to follow-up on the case.
“Upon arrival, we observed the victim’s wife at the hospital and she was then placed under arrest for the outstanding warrant of arrest in reference to failure to report a felony,” the affidavit reads.
She was taken to the Mission Police Department where she was interviewed.
“Ms. Garcia then stated that she is on a complicated relationship and that she is going out with a another man,” the affidavit says.
That document says she told police that she had invited Gomez over and that her husband was still at the location.
She was booked into the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on Wednesday and released Thursday on a $5,000 bond.
Gomez was also booked into county Wednesday and remains jailed on a $250,000 bond.
