EDINBURG — One of the Pharr brothers accused of beating their stepfather to death after learning that he had been accused of sexually abusing their half-sister in January pleaded not guilty to charges of capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon during an arraignment hearing Thursday.
Christian Treviño, 17, appeared before Judge Fernando Mancias in the 93rd District Court for his role in the Jan. 20 death of 42-year-old Gabriel Quintanilla.
Carlos A. Garcia, the attorney representing Treviño, said that it is standard practice to enter a not guilty plea in the first setting of criminal cases.
“Obviously, we do not and have not had access to the government’s file or to the evidence in the case,” Garcia said after the hearing. “All we have to go by was the initial criminal complaint that was filed in this case that established probable cause, and we’ve had nothing more. It’ll be interesting for us to sift through the information that is contained within the state’s file.”
Christian, his 18-year-old brother Alejandro, and their friend 19-year-old Juan Eduardo Melendez made national headlines after their arrests for their alleged roles in Quintanilla’s death. A friend of the teenagers informed police that he’d witnessed Christian beating Quintanilla with brass knuckles.
According to investigators, the teens became enraged after learning that Quintanilla had been accused of sexually assaulting their sibling, who was 9 years old at the time.
Quintanilla’s body was discovered by a farmer in an open field by Whalen and McColl.
Garcia was critical of the Pharr Police Department for sharing information about the case following the arrests of the three teens.
“Unfortunately, the police department in Pharr has taken it upon itself to go on social media and do interviews on YouTube to get their side of the story out,” Garcia said. “We look forward to our opportunity to do the same, but we do it in a courtroom and not on YouTube.”
Christian will appear in court again on Aug. 25 for a pre-trial hearing. He faces a maximum of life in prison without parole if convicted of capital murder.
Alejandro has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. As for Melendez, he is charged with capital murder as well as aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
“I have a young man who is by all accounts a good boy, and has done things and is trying to do things coming here at an early age — brought by his mother in search of a better life,” Garcia said about his client. “He’s been here before he could even read or write. He has done well in school. He has done well for his family. He has worked and gone to school together with his brother, Alejandro. They’ve tried to support their growing family. But for the unfortunate decisions of a grown man in his house, we wouldn’t be here.”
