Two of three men charged with murder for allegedly attempting to rob a rural Weslaco man during a home invasion that ended with one of their crew being shot and killed are asking for lower bonds.
Noel Alvarado, a 23-year-old Mercedes resident, is facing a murder charge in the fatal shooting death of his older brother, 32-year-old Mercedes resident Emanuel Alvarado. He was arrested after driving Emanuel to Knapp Medical Center, where the man died.
In the last two weeks, investigators with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office also arrested 21-year-old Mercedes resident Juan Jesus Hernandez and 23-year-old Weslaco resident Martin Torres Perez Jr., who are also charged with murder.
The trio is accused of causing Emanuel’s death because they attempted to rob a rural Weslaco residence of drugs and money on Dec. 3.
Johnothon Gonzalez, 26, a resident at the home, disarmed Emanuel and shot the man. Gonzalez is charged with failure to report a felony resulting in death and tampering with evidence. He has been released on $40,000 in bonds on the charges.
Noel, who is being held on a $1 million bond, is asking state District Judge Luis Singleterry to reduce his bond to $50,000. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday.
In the petition, he says he has no intention of leaving Hidalgo County and is a United States citizen.
Hernandez is also seeking a bond reduction, though a hearing in his case has not been scheduled. He says that he is not a continuing danger to society and would appear at his court hearings. He is asking that his $1 million bond be reduced to $40,000.
“Defendant requests he be released. Defendant has personal ties to the community. He is (a) U.S. citizen born in Mercedes, Texas,” the petition stated. “Defendant resides in Mercedes, Texas with his mother and daughter of 5 years of age. He is 22 years of age with no prior felony history. Because of these ties to the community, Defendant is not a flight risk.”
Perez, the third suspect in the case, is being held on a $250,000 bond on a charge of murder.
As of Friday, investigators were still looking for 30-year-old Isidro Rubiel Juarez, who is the suspected organizer of the robbery.
Juarez should be considered armed and dangerous, authorities said in a news release.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about the case to call the sheriff’s office at (956) 383-8114 or to submit an anonymous tip through the Hidalgo County Crime Stoppers Hotline at (956) 668-TIPS (8477).
Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the smartphone application “P3 TIPS.”
