A Cameron County indictment against a Brownsville couple accused of causing the death of an autistic teenager in October 2022 states the boy was tied to a mattress with a dog collar and rope.
Julie Alexandria Brewington, 29, the teen’s aunt, and her common-law husband Mauricio Noe Garza, 36, on Jan. 11 were indicted on one count of injury to a child, elderly or disabled individual with intent to cause serious bodily injury.
The indictment also states the teen was struck by an unknown object and cut with an unknown object.
The couple appeared Feb. 9 in the 103rd state District Court for their arraignment.
Their trial is scheduled to begin May 11.
Brownsville police said the 15-year-old boy was allegedly killed by Brewington and Garza at their home on Center Drive on Oct. 17.
The cause of the teenager’s death is still unknown. An autopsy report is pending.
There were signs of foul play, said Sgt. Billy Killebrew of the Brownsville Police Department in an earlier interview.
According to police, there was blood on the teenager. He was found not fully clothed and lying on a mattress on the floor.
Enough evidence was found at the home to charge the couple with murder.
Emergency Medical Services personnel were sent to the home during the early morning hours of Oct. 17 regarding an unresponsive person. When they arrived at the home, the found the teenager dead, Killebrew said.
Killebrew said EMS personnel noticed something was wrong and contacted the police department, and its Crime Scene Investigations Unit was sent to the residence.
Cameron County jail records show Brewington remains in custody on a $75,000 bond, while Garza remains in custody on a $2.5 million bond.
