Testimony during a suppression hearing Wednesday morning, which came before opening arguments were set to begin in the trial of a 34-year-old Mercedes man, revealed police accusations of two brothers stabbing a teen to death because they believed he was trying to steal from one of the men.
The murder case against Fidencio Castillo Cosme, who has pleaded not guilty, will officially start this afternoon.
(Read: Trial of Mercedes man accused in teen’s stabbing death underway)
But before that happens, 370th state District Judge Noe Gonzalez held a suppression hearing over a video-taped confession taken by Mercedes police investigator Danny Longoria, who interviewed Fidencio after his arrest.
During that interview, Fidencio told Longoria that the night before the stabbing, he had been sleeping when he heard a sound and got up to check his backyard. That’s when he said he witnessed people at the back of his house watching an Explorer where he said his brother, 37-year-old Juan Jose Cosme, had been stashing money.
When asked who he saw, Fidencio said: “That dude that I stabbed.”
He then described a confrontation with the people, who he said had a pipe. During that incident, he told his brother to go grab a machete.
“They were trying to steal from us and s—,” Fidencio said.
The next day, Sept. 28, 2020, Fidencio said he saw one of those people from the night prior, 16-year-old Armando Torres IV, walking down the street with headphones on.
“I go back to my room. I grab something and go f—— stab him,” Fidencio said.
O. Rene Flores, Fidencio’s attorney, however, is asking the judge to throw the confession out, arguing that Longoria, the investigator, did not properly read Fidencio his Miranda rights and instead used a “go-by sheet.”
Hidalgo County Assistant District Attorney Vance Gonzales argued during the hearing that Fidencio’s Miranda rights were substantially provided to him and met the bar required by law.
A ruling will be handed down before the jury arrives in the courtroom, which is scheduled to occur around 1 p.m.
Juan, Fidencio’s brother, has also pleaded not guilty and is currently awaiting trial.
(Read: Mercedes brothers indicted for murder in death of teen)
Editor’s note: This story’s headline was updated to clarify information about a suspected attempted theft.
