Man arrested in Valley massacre
Posted on 01/17/2003 4:16:43 AM PST by MeekOneGOP
Man arrested in Valley massacre
01/16/2003
EDINBURG, Texas - A 25-year-old Brownsville man was arrested and charged with six counts of capital murder Thursday in the home invasion earlier this month in which six men were killed in a spray of gunfire.
Police Chief Quirino Munoz said he would not release the name of the man because of the ongoing investigation.
Munoz said the man would probably be arraigned on the charges early Friday.
"As a result of our investigation, we've taken one individual into custody," he said. "Basically, we've been working round the clock since this matter got reported to us."
Two women were also detained for questioning.
Munoz said the arrest was made with the assistance of the Brownsville Police Department and was the result of an exhaustive investigation involving several law enforcement agencies.
"We've conducted numerous searches in different places and many interviews," he said. "Our detectives and officers worked over 1,000 hours. We've dedicated telephone lines to this investigation and have offered rewards."
The six victims were found dead early Jan. 5. Police had so few clues that they were offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to conviction. It is not known if the arrest came as a result of the reward.
The victims were identified as brothers Jerry Hidalgo, 24, and Ray Hidalgo, 30; Juan Delgado Jr., 32, and Juan Delgado III, 20, who are also brothers; Ruben Rolando Castillo, 32; and Jimmy Armendariz, 22.
The mother of two victims was left bound but alive in the larger house, where one of her sons was killed. The other five victims were in the smaller house.
From her description, police said at the time they believed there were three to five assailants.
At least one assailant wore a ski mask and a jacket with "police" on it, leading investigators to call it a "pseudo cop" incident.
The invaders said they wanted drugs, money, or weapons, the woman said. Munoz said shortly after the killings possible motives included drugs, revenge or a premeditated hit.
The crime has similarities to a September attack in nearby Donna, in which six Mexican women were gunned down in a car. Two women survived.
Munoz described the stream of bullets in both attacks as "overkill" and said police from the cities have compared notes.
Rachel Hartman, a 20-year-old student who had been living with Armendariz, said she suspected the attack had something to do with drugs.
"I think it had to have been something out of revenge and getting rid of competition," she said.
Armendariz rarely went to the house, Hartman said.
"If he just wouldn't have been there ..." she said in a telephone interview before bursting into tears. "It's not fair, he was too young."
Edinburg is about 220 miles south of San Antonio.
Victims ID'd in Valley home invasion killings (fake cops murder case, 6 killed in Edinburg, Texas)
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