A 31-year-old man pleaded guilty Friday to shooting and killing a 59-year-old Mercedes man in 2018 following a night of drinking and an argument over cock fighting.
Adrian Garcia admitted to fatally shooting Ezequiel Garza with a rifle on Aug. 18, 2018.
At the time, former Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio told the newspaper that Garcia and Garza were drinking beer at a residence located at 24811 Bass Blvd. at around 5:30 p.m.
Lucio had said the men were fixing the roof of the residence and drank along with the owner, who went inside the house at 11 p.m.
Around 5 a.m., the owner heard gunshots and sent another worker to check, which is when Garza was found in his vehicle with a gunshot wound to his chest.
According to Lucio, Garza and Garcia had been discussing cock fighting and got into an argument over whose rooster was better.
Garcia asked Garza for money for the hypothetical cock fight and then shot him, and a witness confirmed to investigators that Garcia had shot Garza.
Authorities said Garcia fled and tried to hide the .22 rifle used in the shooting, but he was eventually found in the neighborhood and Lucio said he gave a full confession and led investigators to the weapon.
He has remained in the Carrizales-Rucker Cameron County Detention Center on a $1 million bond and is scheduled for sentencing in late October.
Garcia entered a cold plea Friday, which means he did not reach a plea deal with the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office.
He faces 20 to 40 years in prison.
