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EDINBURG — Prosecutors on Monday alleged that Edinburg resident Gabriel Keith Escalante, 43, murdered his friend and his friend’s mother after they were supposed to receive a $13,000 settlement for a fender bender.
Escalante is accused of killing Alejandro Salinas, 53, and Salinas’ mother, Olivia Salinas, 73, who was wheelchair bound, in 2018.
He is also accused of tampering with evidence because investigators believe he and his accomplice, Irene Navejar, 44, tried to clean up the scene of the crime with Clorox.
Escalante was charged with capital murder of multiple persons and tampering with evidence with intent to impair.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutor Andrew Almaguer said during opening arguments that Escalante beat Alejandro to death with an unknown object and asphyxiated Olivia also with an unknown object on April 21, 2018, the last day the victims were seen.
He added that Escalante was in possession of Olivia’s GMC Sierra truck, her wheelchair, jewelry and a key to a locked gate inside her property during the time of his arrest — all crucial details to the trial.
Defense Attorney Rene O. Flores argued the state purposefully left key details out of the timeline it provided and revealed that Navejar — who he described as a sex offender with a “colorful history” and pending murder charges — would be testifying against Escalante.
Monday featured emotional testimony by Elda Ivette Salinas Lara, Olivia’s daughter and Alejandro’s sister, who recounted the days leading up to the discovery of her family’s bodies.
Lara, who took care of her mother by bathing and feeding her, last saw her brother and mother at their home on Sunday, April 21, 2018, when she brought the two beef tacos from Dairy Queen.
She said around 3 p.m. that day, Escalante, who lived across the Salinas property on N. Highway 281, came into their trailer home, kissed Olivia on the right cheek and met up with Alejandro, who was upset at his mother for unknown reasons, in order to move a washer that had broken.
Lara testified that Olivia said she didn’t trust him and had told Alejandro how she felt about Escalante.
The next day, Lara began to worry when her mother didn’t call her from Alejandro’s phone, which she usually did, so she called police to inquire about filing a missing persons report, but police told her she’d have to wait 48 hours before doing so.
On Wednesday, Lara said her other brother, Rolando, found their mother’s trailer ransacked.
“Everything in there was turned upside down,” Lara said. “Like someone was looking for something.”
The witness shook as she cried when looking at the crime scene photos of her mother’s residence in disarray.
Lara said she tried to piece everything together because her mom’s wheelchair and truck were missing. She felt something wasn’t right, but she believed her mother was with her brother somewhere.
“It was just crazy,” Lara said. “I was just thinking of what to do next.”
Edinburg Fire Department Captain Ruben Lopez, who also testified Monday, went to the home Friday night to stop a fire that had somehow not engulfed the trailer home. Only smoke could be seen coming from the doorway, so firefighters went inside and removed an empty gas tank they found inside.
Lopez said he couldn’t determine the source of the fire because the gas tank was moved before he arrived, but he indicated it appeared the fire had just started when firefighters arrived because trailers are made of very flammable material and quickly catch fire.
Lara and her brother were not told about the fire and were surprised to see the damage when they went to the property on Saturday with a responding officer who was conducting a welfare check at Rolando’s request.
Officer Joseph Mata, who also testified Monday, searched the property for Olivia’s wheelchair or any sign of her and Alejandro, but when he came up empty handed, Lara suggested he check the area behind the locked gate at the end of the property.
It was there that Mata and Rolando, who both jumped the gate, found two shovels in a freshly dug area and a pile of pallets and debris. Mata smelled decay and could see and hear a swarm of flies.
Upon investigation, the officer found what appeared to be Olivia’s elbow sticking out from under a carpet. He then asked Rolando to go back to the front of the property where Lara was waiting.
Laras broke down when she was told they found a body.
Testimony will continue Tuesday.
