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A man accused of murdering his friend and their mother over a lawsuit dispute in 2018 will be going to trial Monday.
Gabriel Keith Escalante, then 39, is charged with capital murder of multiple persons and tampering with evidence, according to court records.
Escalante’s girlfriend, Irene Navejar, then 40, was also charged with capital murder and tampering with evidence.
Both are accused of beating 53-year-old Alejandro Salinas Sr. to death and fatally asphyxiating 73-year-old Oliva Salinas with a plastic bag April 23, 2018.
Edinburg police discovered the bodies at the 8200 block of North Expressway 281 in the mobile home the mother and son lived in after Salinas’ children reported they had not heard from her or their brother since April 21.
The bodies were covered in tarps and one had been wrapped in a carpet, according to the complaint.
According to David White, who was the Edinburg Police chief at the time, the officers at the scene could smell the decomposing bodies upon arrival.
Navejar’s criminal complaint said the couple allegedly confessed to committing the crime during an interview with investigators and said it was a result of a “a lawsuit settlement.”
Navejar also told authorities that she and Escalante returned to Salinas’ residence days after the murder to clean the scene with Clorox.
During the investigation, authorities discovered that Escalante was a friend of Alejandro Salinas and would frequent Salinas’ residence.
The couple remain jailed at Hidalgo County jail after their bonds were set at $1.25 million each.
