A year after a Brownsville man was kidnapped and killed, one of three suspects has been found guilty on one count of murder and another charge.
A Cameron County jury Wednesday found Jose Luis Vasquez, 46, guilty in the murder and aggravated kidnapping of Jose Villarreal Jr., 39, that occurred Aug. 13, 2021.
The case was heard before 357th state District Judge Juan A. Magallanes, who sentenced Vasquez to life in prison on the murder charge and 55 years in prison on the aggravated kidnapping charge.
“This was a particularly heinous and outrageous murder. The loss of Mr. Villarreal’s life was senseless. I am thankful the jury sent the message that this type of behavior is abhorrent and will not be tolerated in Cameron County,” Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz said in a media release.
Vasquez, Britny Nicole Perez and Sandra Yadira Reyna were indicted by a Cameron County grand jury on Oct. 6, 2021, for causing the death of Jose Villarreal Jr. They were each indicted on one count of murder, one count of engaging in organized criminal activity and one count of aggravated kidnapping.
According to the indictment, Vasquez and Reyna have previous convictions. Vasquez was convicted on one count of aggravated robbery, while Reyna was convicted on one count of possession of marijuana.
Although court documents reflect that Perez and Reyna had been indicted on the charges, the charges filed against them were dismissed Aug. 15.
A spokeswoman for the DA’s office said the charges against Perez and Reyna were dismissed because they cooperated with the DA’s office and both testified against Vasquez in the trial.
Villarreal is believed to have been lured to a location by two women he met on social media, then was kidnapped at gunpoint, forced to withdraw money from a bank account and later shot and killed, investigator Martin Sandoval, spokesman for the Brownsville Police Department said in a previous interview.
After luring Villarreal to the location and kidnapping him, the suspects drove around the city and stopped at various ATM locations where they forced Villarreal to withdraw money, Sandoval said investigators allege.
Villarreal was later shot and killed, and his body was discovered on Father Mestas Street.
Sandoval said Villarreal and Perez were familiar with one another but were not acquaintances. Perez was not friends with Vasquez and Reyna.
According to a Brownsville PD incident report, Villarreal’s body was discovered by a man driving on Father Mestas Street who saw him lying face up on the side of the road. At first thought, he thought the body was one of his friends. The man said Villarreal was not moving and had blood on his face.
Villarreal was pronounced dead at the scene and an autopsy was ordered.
