Police release name of man fatally stabbed Sunday

PHARR — Police released the identity Friday of the victim of last weekend’s fatal stabbing here.

Julio Villarreal, 32, died at a local hospital after being stabbed in the thigh in front of his home in the 3400 block of North Mezcal Drive on Sunday evening.

Police detained neighbor Feliciano Avalos Jr. shortly after arriving on the scene, and the 52-year-old was arraigned on a murder charge Monday. During the arraignment, Avalos claimed he stabbed Villarreal out of self-defense.

Avalos remains in Hidalgo County jail on more than a $1 million bond.