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WESLACO — Police here revealed details Monday of a “gruesome” and “very violent” stabbing that left one man dead and his brother in the hospital over the weekend, while the suspect who was released from jail after spending over a year behind bars is now at the center of a murder investigation.
Fernando Ontiveros, 32, was charged with murder and attempted murder Monday.
“We are familiar with Oniveros because he is a sex offender and we were monitoring him,” Weslaco Police Chief Joel Rivera said during a news conference Monday. “We can tell you that Ontiveros was released from Hidalgo County jail after spending one-and-a-half years for assault, bodily injury of a family member and obstruction or retaliation.”
Rivera explained monitoring does not equate to 24-hour surveillance, but that police monitor his address, employment and his social media accounts.
At about 1 a.m. Saturday, Weslaco police responded to a call for service regarding a stabbing in the 100 block of South Cedro Street where they found two victims with serious lacerations to their bodies.
Jose Ismael Nunez, 25, was stabbed multiple times in the neck and chest. He received first aid by the responding officers, but died after being transported to a nearby hospital.
The second victim, identified as Jose Eleno Nunez, 22, was also stabbed in the chest and transported to Knapp Medical Center, where he is currently in stable condition.
Both victims are brothers. They were having a beer at their residence when Ontiveros attacked them unprovoked, police said.
“This was a very violent, very gruesome, unprovoked attack and there was a lot of blood,” Rivera said.
The chief also said a family member intervened by stabbing Ontiveros in the back, causing him to flee the scene.
Authorities found Ontiveros’ identity and his residence through witness testimony and managed to follow a blood trail back to his home.
Rivera added that Ontiveros has schizophrenia.
Ontiveros was hospitalized and is in stable condition, yet he is not cooperating with police, authorities said. He remained in custody Monday on $1.5 million in bonds.
