Brownsville police have released more information pertaining to the Aug. 13 killing of Jose Villarreal Jr., 39.
Villarreal is believed to have been lured to a location by two women he met on social media, then was kidnapped at gunpoint, forced to withdraw money from a bank account and later shot and killed, investigator Martin Sandoval, spokesman for the Brownsville Police Department said on Thursday.
On Thursday, police said Sandra Yarida Reyna is the third person charged in Villarreal’s death. She is charged with one count of murder, one count of engaging in organized criminal activity and one count of aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon. Her bond was set at $4 million.
On Thursday, Reyna was being held in Willacy County on at least two to three unrelated charges, Sandoval said.
Also charged with Villarreal’s death are Britny Nicole Perez and Jose Luis Vasquez Jr., who were arrested in August on the same charges as Reyna. Vasquez’s bonds totaled $4 million. Perez’s bonds totaled $600,000.
After luring Villarreal to the location and kidnapping him, the suspects drove around the city and stopped at various ATM locations where they forced Villarreal to withdraw money, Sandoval said investigators allege.
Villarreal was later shot and killed and his body was discovered on Father Mestas Street. Authorities are trying to determine if Villarreal was shot on Father Mestas Street or if he was killed somewhere else and then his body dumped at the location.
Sandoval said Villarreal and Perez were familiar with one another but were not acquaintances. Perez was not friends with Vasquez and Reyna.
Authorities at the moment don’t know how much money Villarreal was forced to withdraw but a subpoena has been issued to get his bank records.
According to a Brownsville PD incident report, Villarreal’s body was discovered by a man driving on Father Mestas Street who saw him lying face up on the side of the road. He at first thought it was one of his friends. The man said Villarreal was not moving and he had blood on his face.
The man “pointed out there were bullet casings on the roadway next to the sidewalk where the subject was laying,” the report read. According to the report “the male subject appeared to have been physically assaulted and there was bullet casings in the area.”
Villarreal was pronounced dead at the scene and an autopsy was ordered.
All three remain in custody.
