Edinburg man suspected in murder surrenders at San Juan Stripes

Alphie Howard Slough

Deputies went to a Stripes convenience store in San Juan early Thursday because a 39-year-old Edinburg resident, who is suspected in a weekend shooting death, wanted to turn himself in, according to the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.

In a news release, the department said deputies responded to the Stripes at the corner of Earling and Raul Longoria roads about 2:07 a.m. and arrested Alphie Howard Slough, the suspect in the Saturday morning shooting in the 2700 block of Alberta Road in rural Edinburg that left 24-year-old Ricardo Guzman dead.

The sheriff’s office did not say in the release how Slough communicated to deputies that he was at the Stripes wanting to surrender.

The shooting in rural Edinburg happened about 2:32 a.m. Saturday. Deputies responded to the location for a welfare check.

Witnesses said they heard gunshots from inside the residence and said Guzman, of Edinburg, walked outside and collapsed on the driveway.

As for Slough, he has a series of drug-related arrests dating back to 2007. His most recent arrest prior to the shooting was on Sept. 14, 2019, for drug charges and a parole warrant.

He’s already been booked on another warrant he had out since June 16, when prosecutors moved to dismiss the term of eight years community supervision on a drug charge conviction from January 2020 for a variety of violations, including failure to stay away from alcohol and drugs, according to court records.

Slough was charged with murder and will make a first appearance sometime Thursday, when a judge will set a bond.