The 36-year-old man who San Juan police arrested Saturday and charged with murder is accused of stabbing a 65-year-old woman multiple times.
Moises Herrera-Peña, of Donna, is also charged with tampering with physical evidence over allegations he threw the knife used in the killing into a trash can after leaving a residence in the 1200 block of East Texas Avenue.
(Click here for background on this case.)
San Juan police responded there at about 3:40 p.m. Feb. 25 where they found Rosalinda A. Garcia’s body and determined she had been murdered.
As the investigation developed, police obtained a suspect description and identified a Chevrolet Silverado or a GMC Sierra extended pickup truck as possible suspect vehicles, according to a probable cause affidavit.
“Investigators obtained information that led them to a Chevrolet pick-up truck registered to Moises Herrera-Peña in Donna, TX, which matched the description,” the affidavit stated.
Police also say they found Peña’s phone number in Garcia’s cellular data.
Investigators eventually found the vehicle parked at a private business along Business 83 in Alamo and detained Peña, who police say confessed to stabbing Garcia multiple times.
“Upon leaving the scene, Herrera-Peña disposed of the knife inside a trash can,” the affidavit read.
That document does not provide an alleged motive for the 65-year-old woman’s killing. It also provides no information on whether Peña and Garcia knew each other.
San Juan police Chief Ruben Morin said Saturday that the suspect’s arrest was the result of a multi-agency investigation that included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals, the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office and the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office.
He also thanked Garcia’s family for their patience during the investigation.
“They were very patient with us and they were very grateful for the end result,” the chief said. “This investigation was going to be time consuming.”
Pe ña remains in the Hidalgo County jail where he is being held without bond, records show.
