WESLACO — The Weslaco Police Department arrested another teen suspect involved in the murder of a 19-year-old man last month.
During a news conference Friday afternoon, Weslaco Police Chief Joel Rivera identified the suspect as 17-year-old Jorge Antonio Gracia. The Weslaco Criminal Investigations Division arrested Guerra Thursday with assistance from U.S. Marshals and the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.
Gracia is the second suspect arrested for the murder of 19-year-old Leonel Guerra. A 15-year-old suspect was also arrested Dec. 23, 2021. His identity is being withheld due to his status as a minor.
At 6:41 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2021, officers responded to an R.V. Park located at 600 S. Bridge Ave. in reference to shots fired. When police arrived, officers found Guerra with a single gunshot wound to the back.
“Officers attempted CPR first aid to no avail. He ended up passing then,” Rivera said. “Through some hard work and some good investigative work, two suspects were developed and identified.”
Police released photos of the suspect vehicle, a 2010 black Chevrolet Silverado with Texas license plates and several Harley Davidson stickers on the tailgate, seeking assistance from the public.
“With the public’s assistance, we were able to locate that truck, abandoned,” Rivera said. “We recovered evidence from that vehicle. It was a part of our investigation. It helped us end up identifying suspects in that case.”
Rivera said Guerra and the suspects knew each other.
“They were involved in illicit activity, and at some point they had a disagreement that eventually led to the situation in which the murder happened,” Rivera said.
Both suspects were charged with homicide. Gracia faces up to 99 years in prison, and his bond was set at $1 million. The 15-year-old suspect is currently in custody at Evins Regional Juvenile Center in Edinburg.
Rivera said all the individuals directly involved in the murder have been apprehended. However, there could be another arrest made soon.
“All persons involved in the actual crime, the initial crime of the homicide, have been taken into custody,” Rivera said. “They are no longer out in the public. They are in our custody. There are still some things that as a P.D. we have to button up. There may be an arrest coming. We have to evaluate the evidence — probable cause and stuff like that. There may be a subsequent arrest, but it’s a cursory arrest not having to do directly with direct involvement to the actual homicide.”
