Witness: Pharr man accused of killing brother confessed to harming him over $100

David Sandoval and Roel Pecina

Investigators believe a 60-year-old man murdered his older brother while robbing him of $100.

That information is gleaned from a probable cause affidavit for Pharr resident David Sandoval’s arrest on charges of capital murder, tampering with evidence and evading arrest.

David Sandoval made a first appearance in Pharr Municipal Court on Thursday afternoon over allegations he killed his brother, 66-year-old Ruben Sandoval, in what chief Andy Harvey called a “very violent attack.”

Two Pharr police officers discovered Ruben Sandoval’s body on Wednesday afternoon just before 5 p.m. at Memorial Park in Pharr.

“(The officer) will testify that upon checking the bed of the truck he observed a male subject laying in the bed of the truck covered with a green dots blanket and a foul odor emitting from the body with multiple head injuries,” the affidavit stated.

That vehicle belonged to Ruben Sandoval, and Harvey said during a Thursday afternoon press conference that investigators believe David Sandoval placed his brother in the bed of the truck and drove around for a while before dumping his body and the vehicle at the park during the lunch hour Tuesday and then walked to his home.

The affidavit revealed that once police identified Ruben Sandoval, they learned he had been reported missing earlier Wednesday.

“What we found is the deceased body had multiple injuries to its head, some very, very severe. It was something very, very sharp, and like I said, it was just a very violent attack,” Harvey said.

At around 8:40 p.m. Wednesday, police spotted David Sandoval in the 800 block of West Hawk, which is about four blocks away from the park and where David Sandoval resides.

The affidavit said that when David Sandoval saw the officer, he took off running to the back of a home at 801 W. State Street, where he was caught after a short pursuit.

Investigators also note in the charging document that his own family members told police they suspected he was a person of interest.

Police also talked to an unidentified person who was seen at David Sandoval’s house on the day Ruben Sandoval’s body was dumped at the park.

“Affiant interviewed (redacted) who neighbors observed exiting the Defendants house on 4-20-21. (Redacted) stated that the defendant confessed to her that he harmed his brother for 100.00 dollars,” the affidavit said.

It’s not immediately known how he allegedly harmed his brother, who sustained severe injuries to his head.

However, Harvey, the chief, said previously that the wounds were consistent with a machete, several of which were found in David Sandoval’s house when police executed a search warrant.

Also arrested in the case is David Sandoval’s roommate, 53-year-old Pharr resident Roel Pecina, who is charged with tampering with evidence and failure to report a felony.

Pecina told police he arrived at his home at about 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

“He arrived home and noticed a large amount of blood inside his residence,” the affidavit for his arrest said.

The man told police that’s when David Sandoval told him he had been in an altercation with his brother. Investigators said in David Sandoval’s affidavit that Pecina also said that David Sandoval confessed to him that he harmed his brother, causing his death.

“The defendant stated that he helped David wash off the blood from the floor. After the interior was washed off, the defendant left to run errands and failed to report the offense,” the affidavit stated.

Pecina remained jailed Friday on a total of $52,500 in bonds, while David Sandoval was being held without bond on the capital murder charge.

He also has a total of $12,500 in bonds on the tampering with evidence and evading arrest charges.


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