A 37-year-old Weslaco man accused of shooting and killing his stepdaughter, with whom he was romantically involved, received a bond reduction Tuesday morning, dropping the $1 million he is being held on to $300,000.
Mercedes police arrested Guadalupe Ybarra April 19 and charged him with murder over allegations he shot and killed 19-year-old Ruther Esmeralda Olvera April 17.
Investigators also charged Esmeralda Chapa, a 36-year-old Brownsville resident who was also in a relationship with Ybarra, with murder.
She remains jailed on a $1 million bond.
Ybarra appeared via video-conferencing in front of 93rd state District Judge Fernando Mancias, who granted the reduction after hearing arguments from defense attorney Abiel Flores, who told Mancias that both of his client’s parents are disabled and unable to come up with any money to put toward a bond.
TheHidalgo County District Attorney’s Office strongly opposed any reduction in the bond due to the allegations against Ybarra, which include planning.
Police found Olvera dead inside a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze parked at 2102 W. Expressway 83 at approximately 8:37 p.m April 19.
When investigators spoke with her mother, she told police she suspected Ybarra harmed her daughter.
She “stated that she believes her ex-husband Guadalupe Ybarra is responsible for Ruth’s death because Mr. Ybarra, who was also involved with Ruth is a very violent and aggressive person,” the probable cause affidavit stated.
She had last heard from her daughter via a text message at 11:20 a.m. April 19, according to the affidavit.
Investigators also met with Ybarra that day, who said Olvera had texted him and that he and his father met with her at a park in Weslaco, according to Mercedes police.
Ybarra claimed that Olvera called him at 11:30 a.m. saying she was being followed by people in two vehicles and that passengers from one of those vehicles approached her and banged on her vehicle, the affidavit said.
“Mr. Ybarra said that the line then got disconnected and (he) did not hear from her again. Mr. Ybarra stated that the messages and phone calls that he made with Ruth (are) erased and are no longer saved on his phone,” the affidavit stated.
J. Enereo Bazan, the assistant district attorney at Tuesday’s hearing, told Mancias that investigators believe Ybarra erased his messages and that a search of Olvera’s phone revealed threatening, aggressive messages from Ybarra.
Investigators also spoke with Chapa, who told police she was with Ybarra the Saturday Olvera was killed, according to the charging document.
“Through the investigation it was learned that Ms. Chapa’s and Mr. Ybarra’s stories were inconsistent and contrary to each other,” the affidavit read.
The detectives who searched Ybarra’s phone, however, did find browser history that hadn’t been cleared, which included recent searches on how to use and shoot a Taurus 9mm PT92 pistol, as well as looking up information about the interior of a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze — the same type of vehicle in which Olvera’s body was found.
“While searching his messages it was also learned that Mr. Ybarra had been messaging Ms. Olvera excessively in a harassing manner such as asking for her whereabouts, and if she had been sleeping with other men. Mr. Ybarra also voice messaged Ms. Olvera that he was receiving calls from unknown numbers that they were going to kill her and her daughter,” the affidavit stated.
Olvera had asked Ybarra to record a call and send it to her, which he did, according to police.
The investigators who listened to the call recognized the voice as belonging to Chapa and a search of her phone showed both suspects were in communication the same day the threatening message was left on Ybarra’s phone.
If Ybarra does make bond, he’ll be placed on house arrest.
Neither suspect has been indicted yet.
