San Juan man accused in fatal Alamo stabbing to pursue insanity defense

Larry Charles Culbert III

A 29-year-old San Juan man accused of stabbing a woman in broad daylight at a Bealls parking lot in Alamo will pursue an insanity defense, court records indicate.

Regina “Regi” Richardson, who represents Larry Charles Culbert III, filed notice of the uncommon defense June 2 and submitted a motion asking state District Judge Marla Cuellar to appoint a psychiatrist to examine Culbert, who is accused of stabbing 47-year-old Andrea Socorro Reyna to death on March 25, 2021.

Culbert has entered a not guilty plea to an indictment charging him with murder.

Alamo police arrested Culbert at the crime scene at the Bealls plaza located at 1449 Duranta Ave. after responding to a verbal dispute at about 6:30 p.m. that turned into a murder investigation.

Questions about Culbert’s competency surfaced soon after his arrest.

In July 2021, Culbert’s court-appointed attorney Ricardo Alanis could not tell Cuellar, the judge, whether his then-client was competent for arraignment and Culbert also indicated he had trouble understanding his hearing and that he was taking medication.

Authorities believe Culbert killed Reyna after they finished shopping and police have said Reyna’s 11-year-old child was present at the scene at the time of the murder.

“They got out of their vehicles and a verbal dispute began regarding jealousy. The suspect then knocked the victim to the ground and with a knife cut the victim’s throat and the suspect then turned the knife on himself, causing a self-inflicted stab wound to his neck area,” police said in a news release.

Child Protective Services took custody of the 11-year-old and reunited the child with a family member.

Culbert remains jailed at the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on a $350,000 bond, records show.