A 32-year-old man told Hidalgo County sheriff’s investigators that he stabbed his uncle three to four times after an argument last Thursday.
Authorities arrested Manuel Martinez III last Saturday on accusations he killed Reynaldo Menchaca Villarreal, who would have turned 55 next Wednesday.
Weslaco police initiated the investigation after responding to a traffic accident in which the driver, Villarreal, appeared to have stab wounds, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The man used his dying words to tell investigators his nephew had stabbed him, according to authorities.
Both Martinez and Villarreal had recently arrived in the Rio Grande Valley and were staying at a residence in Donna before the fatal argument.
When deputies arrived at the residence, they saw Martinez walking on the road, according to a probable cause affidavit.
“Sheriff Deputies observed a blood trail on the roadway that leads to the entrance of the residence at said address,” the charging document stated. “Sheriff Deputies overheard Manuel stating he was sorry. Sheriff Deputies recovered a knife from Manuel with what appeared to be blood.”
Investigators obtained a statement from the man, along with Villarreal’s dying declaration and evidence from the scene authorities used to charge him with murder.
