EDINBURG, Texas – One illegal immigrant has been formally charged with capital murder and another is expected to be charged soon in connection with the execution of two men and the burning of the victims’ corpses in Texas. The two jailed illegal immigrants are said to be members of a fearsome gang called the Tri-City Bombers which has been tied to multiple massacres and high profile murders in the past.
This week, investigators with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office arrested 22-year-old Edwin Adrian Salinas for his suspected role in the case. Authorities had initially arrested him on unrelated drug charges, but once in custody, homicide detectives were able to link him to the double murder.
Sheriff’s office spokesman JP Rodriguez told Breitbart Texas that once in custody Salinas admitted to investigators his role in the murder. Salinas also had scar tissue on his body from healed injuries that are consistent with him helping set a car on fire.
On Monday afternoon, Salinas went before a local justice of the peace who formally charged him with two counts of capital murder and set his bond at $2 million.
Also on Monday authorities arrested a second suspect who is expected to be formally charged later this week.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, the case surrounding the murder began in May when firefighters with the Monte Alto Fire Department responded to a car on fire in rural Hidalgo County.
Once the fire was put out, authorities responded to the scene since in the trunk of the car firefighters found the bodies of 23-year-old Jose Luis Salinas Torres and 26-year-old Lazaro Alejandro Martinez Esparza.
Both men had been shot in the head at another location and then driven to the rural area where their bodies were torched along with the vehicle.
According to sheriff’s investigators the motive for the murder appears to be a drug dispute.
Information provided to Breitbart Texas by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office revealed that in addition to the two suspects, the two murder victims were also illegal immigrants.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas you can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.