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A 46-year-old Edinburg woman who reached a deal with prosecutors to testify against her former boyfriend in 2022 in a double homicide trial skipped out on a plea hearing Wednesday, court records indicate.
Irene Navejar was scheduled to plea to her role in the April 23, 2018 beating death of Alejandro Salinas, 53, and the asphyxiation death of his mother, Olivia Salinas, 73, according to court records.
Testimony during the trial of 46-year-old Edinburg resident Gabriel Keith Escalante indicates that he killed the mother and son over money they won in a settlement.
Escalante was convicted in June 2022 of capital murder of multiple persons and of tampering with evidence with intent to impair. He is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Navejar has pleaded not guilty to capital murder of multiple persons, murder and tampering with evidence with intent to impair.
The details of her scheduled plea weren’t immediately available in online court records.
Navejar took the stand for several hours on the last day of testimony of Escalante’s trial where she detailed the crime for jurors after reaching a deal with prosecutors for her testimony.
Navejar’s testimony was voluntary and prosecutors granted her “use immunity,” meaning her testimony then couldn’t be used against her in her prosecution.
She cried as she walked jurors through the final moments of Alejandro and Salinas’ lives.
Navejar said Escalante and Alejandro had been smoking crack and drinking at the Salinas residence when Escalante said he had more drugs at his apartment so the trio went to his home.
That’s when Navejar said she heard a scuffle breakout between Escalante and Alejandro and when she went to investigate, she saw Escalante beating his friend, eventually slamming the back of his head on the tile.
“That’s when I saw the back of his head bleeding,” she said at the time.
Navejar said on the stand that she begged Escalante to stop but he pointed a gun at her and told her to go outside. She also claimed Escalante forced her to put Alejandro’s body in the back of Olivia’s GMC Sierra before he drove around aimlessly before going back to the Salinas residence.
She told jurors that Escalante ordered her to look for the settlement money and that Escalante beat Olivia before placing a bag over her head, leaving her to suffocate and die.
Court records indicate a warrant was issued for Navejar’s arrest.
