A Hidalgo County grand jury indicted a 43-year-old man on a charge of murder over accusations that he shot and killed his stepson over borrowed money.
Jose Asencion Hernandez was indicted Oct. 26 and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday morning in front of state District Judge Roberto “Bobby” Flores, court records show.
Pharr police arrested Hernandez within two hours of the shooting that happened in the 700 block of West Coyote Trail about 2:10 p.m. Aug. 3.
Police say Hernandez fatally shot his stepson, 24-year-old Agustin Jose Andres Vela, in the chest because he owed him money, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The shooting occurred while the men were outside a friend’s residence drinking beer.
Investigators say Hernandez, who was already upset from a previous incident with a friend, left the residence and then returned with a long gun.
Hernandez’s court-appointed attorney, Daniel R. Reyes, has filed two motions in the case that seek to suppress evidence.
In one, Reyes contends that the initial stop, detention and arrest of Hernandez were without probable cause, so any evidence obtained from them should be thrown out.
The attorney is also seeking to have any statements or confessions made by Hernandez barred from being used by the prosecution.
Hernandez was initially held on a $1 million bond on the murder charge.
However, a search for the suspect in online jail records doesn’t return results, so it’s unclear whether the bond has remained the same or whether it has been reduced.
