LA JOYA — Police here confirmed Thursday morning a third death in the June 29 rollover in which all of the occupants were ejected from a vehicle during a chase, and now the main suspect faces an additional charge of murder.
La Joya police arrested Alexis Pino Hernandez, 23, on Monday.
Hernandez is currently facing two counts of murder, three counts of smuggling of persons causing serious bodily injury or death, and two counts of evading arrest, among other charges but that will soon change.
“So, now we’re not looking at the same charge,” Sgt. Manuel Casas said. “The charges are now changing because now there is a third person that has died as a consequence of Mr. Alexis Hernandez Pino’s actions.”
Casas went on to say Hernandez, who’s from Mexico, will now be facing a third murder charge and an evading arrest charge in addition to his previous charges.
According to Casas, 20-year-old Yenifer Merari Granillo Vasquez from Honduras immediately went into surgery and was placed in ICU following the rollover crash, but she died Wednesday.
The sergeant added that authorities immediately contacted the Mexican and Honduran consulates which reached out to the families of the deceased and notified them of the deaths.
“[The girl’s family] had great hope that she was going to survive,” Casas said in Spanish. “Of course, we all had hope, but sadly, it didn’t happen that way. The Honduran consulates … are working with us to be able to bring this girl home to her family in the country of Honduras.”
Mexican nationals 29-year-old Gabriel Salas Sifuentes, who died at the scene, and 31-year-old Jose Ismael Campos Rodriguez, who died later at the hospital, were the other two passengers involved.
Hernandez was also in critical condition, but according to Casas, he was able to recover fairly quickly, so police were able to speak to him and figure out that he was the driver of the vehicle.
“He even told us where everyone was sitting at the time and everything,” Casas said in Spanish.
Hernandez remains jailed at the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on a total of $2.75 million in bonds.
Casas also discussed police procedures during a chase, noting that officers often take the actions necessary to prevent accidents from happening, sometimes making the decision to disengage from a pursuit because they can become too dangerous.
“We know what the outcome can be,” Casas said. “Those decisions are made in seconds sometimes. We don’t have too much time to think, we have to make a decision right there.
“Sometimes things happen too fast before you can even make that decision.”
