A Weslaco man accused of killing a man by stabbing him in the heart and partially burning his body is set to be arraigned Monday at the 275th state District Court.
Jose Alfonso Lopez, 27, was charged with murder for the death of 21-year-old Edel Galvan. Galvan died in late July and Lopez was indicted by a grand jury in mid-October.
According to a probable cause affidavit for his arrest, Lopez was arrested by Hidalgo County Sheriff’s deputies about two hours after Weslaco firefighters found Galvan’s partially burned body.
The Weslaco Fire Department responded to a grass fire on Mile 13 1/2 North, just east of Mile 4, in rural Weslaco at about 4:32 a.m. on July 29.
Later that morning, at about 6:14 a.m., a man called deputies to report that a man he knew as “Ponchis” stabbed and burned his friend, according to the report.
The reporting man showed authorities where “Ponchis,” who was later identified as Lopez, lived and told them that he had seen Lopez and Galvan fighting and “that he saw Jose Lopez stab Edel Galvan in the heart.”
The affidavit said authorities increased patrol in the area surrounding the crime scene and saw Lopez walking near the area.
An officer tried to question him, but Lopez ran into a brushy area nearby.
Lopez, however, didn’t get far and was placed under arrest. He was charged with murder, evading arrest and failure to identify.
He also picked up another charge while at the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center after an inmate alerted jailers that Lopez had a lighter, which they found hidden in his underwear.
Lopez was additionally charged with prohibited item in the correctional facility.
He is set to appear before state District Judge Marla Cuellar on Monday for his arraignment.
He remained jailed Thursday on $1.035 million in bonds.
