John Jefferson
Background: News footage of the El Paso, Texas home where Angel Martin Herrera was found stabbed (KTSM). Inset: Raymundo Morales (El Paso Police Department).
A Texas mother tried to take the fall for her husband’s stabbing death, but her teenage son wouldn’t let her — and apparently confessed to the crime.
Raymundo Morales, 19, reportedly told El Paso police “I killed my stepdad” after officers questioned him in the early morning hours of Jan. 12. According to court documents obtained by KTSM, a local NBC affiliate, a family gathering ended in a verbal altercation that turned violent when Morales allegedly stabbed Angel Martin Herrera, 40, in the neck.
The documents included several witness accounts from the gathering, which reportedly involved some notable alcohol consumption. One witness reportedly said that Morales got mad at someone at the gathering and assaulted her by choking her and hitting her. Herrera then confronted Morales about his behavior and they got into a verbal fight.
Police responded to the El Paso home at about 3:30 a.m. after receiving calls about a verbal argument. When they found that no one was injured, the police left, only to return half an hour later when a report of a stabbing at the same address came in.
According to the documents, the verbal fight between Morales and Herrera escalated, and Morales produced a knife and allegedly stabbed his stepfather on the left side of his neck.
When police arrived after the second call, Morales’ mother, who was not named, attempted to take the blame for stabbing Herrera, who was unresponsive at the scene, telling police that she was the one wielding the knife. However, several witnesses stated that they saw Morales committing the alleged attack. She later recanted her statement.
In a news release, the El Paso Police Department said that Herrera was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
After Morales was placed under arrest and taken into custody, he allegedly told a different story to police and admitted, “I killed my stepdad.” He claimed that he attacked Herrera because the latter had pushed his mother. Witnesses, however, said they never saw Herrera assault anyone at the gathering.
Morales also stated that he knew his mother tried to take the blame, but he wouldn’t let her.
Morales was charged with one count of murder and one count of assaulting a family member by impeding their breath. He is being held on $700,000 bond at the El Paso County Detention Facility. His next court date is on Jan. 17.
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