3 charged with murder in McAllen

The McAllen Police Department arrested five people over the weekend in relation to the Sept. 1 murder of 54-year-old Ricky Dowal Etheridge.

Police haved charged 20-year-old McAllen resident Daniel Barker, 45-year-old McAllen resident Jose Luis Sanchez Jr., and 37-year-old McAllen resident Daniel Gilbert Garren with murder.

All three received a $1.5 million bond on the murder charge.

Garren is also charged with tampering with physical evidence and received a $25,000 on the charge.

Police have also charged 59-year-old Michael Thomas McPhee in the case. McPhee faces charges of tampering with physical evidence and failure to report a felony. He received a total of $33,000 in bonds.

Saundra Sanchez, a 48-year-old McAllen resident, was also charged in the case. Police charged Sanchez with failure to report a felony and she received a $10,000 bond.

Police are still looking for 47-year-old Rene Everrett Casas, who has a warrant for murder.

Anyone with information about Casas’ whereabouts or the murder are asked to call McAllen Crime Stoppers at (956) 687-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be anonymously submitted through the smartphone app “P3 TIPS.” A cash reward may be available if information leads to an arrest.

The investigation began after Etheridge’s body was found near 15th Street on Sept. 1.

“The victim was assaulted and died,” police said in a news release last week.