Three Texas teenagers, including two brothers, have been arrested and charged with several crimes, including two counts of capital murder, for killing the brothers' stepfather after he was accused of sexually abusing their 9-year-old sister in a trailer park home.
18-year-old Alejandro Trevino, 17-year-old Christian Trevino, and 18-year-old Juan Eduardo Melendez were all arrested in connection with the death of 42-year-old Gabriel Quintanilla.
Quintanilla had a warrant out for his arrest for continuous sexual abuse of a child, according to police. He was accused of inappropriately touching his 9-year-old daughter. However, when they responded to a call around 2:41 p.m. on Thursday, they found his body instead.
Brothers Became Enraged, Confronted Quintanilla After Learning About the Abuse
When the Trevino brothers found out about the sexual abuse, they became "enraged" and confronted Quinanilla at his residence in Pharr. A physical fight ensued between the three and Quintanilla left the location on foot, police said.
However, the assaults didn't stop there. Christian reportedly chased Quintanilla on foot and found him outside of an apartment complex down the road. At this point, Melendez allegedly got involved, by joining in on the chase in his own car.
"A second assault occurs there when Alexandro Trevino and a driver of a red Dodge Charger, Juan Eduardo Melendez, catch up and join the assault towards the victim," police said. After beating Quintanilla, they leave the location, change their vehicle to a white Ford F-150 and find Quintanilla alone and injured walking on the road.
Quintanilla Beaten with Brass Knuckles, Left to Die in Open Field
"A third assault occurs and the victim is severely beaten. The victim who is still alive is placed in the bed of the truck and drove off and ended up in the McColl and Whalen Road (area) where the victim was dropped off in an open field and the suspects fled," police say. Quintanilla's body was discovered in the field on Thursday.
Investigators believe that the suspects used brass knuckles to repeatedly punch Quintanilla in the face, resulting in severe head trauma that ultimately led to his death. Police stated that they believe Quintanilla was still alive when the suspects allegedly left him in the field in McAllen.
Deputy Chief Juan Gonzalez announced that Alexandro, one of the brothers, was not being charged with capital murder because it is believed that Christian and Melendez were the ones that inflicted the fatal blow to Quintanilla.
He will, however, be charged with aggravated assault and engaging in organized criminal activity while Christian and Melendez are charged with capital murder, aggravated assault and engaging in organized criminal activity.
