By RAY QUIROGA
publisher@sbnewspaper.com
Days after an alleged quadruple homicide occurred at a property just south of the San Benito city limits, a small group of the victims’ friends and family gathered outside the unassuming home where three of the four victims were allegedly killed.
As they strategized on how best to help the family, the group of strong-willed women, varying in age, reflected on the lives lost, the children left behind, and what the future might hold for the other surviving family members. But above all, they wondered why this tragedy unfolded.
The women said they were genuinely puzzled about why the suspect, Joel Christian Maldonado Pacheco , 23, who surrendered to police after allegedly shooting and killing all four victims on Sunday, Sept. 13, committed such heinous acts.
Bessie Wynn Alvarado, the sister-in-law of one of the victims and the organizer of an online fundraising effort to offset funeral costs for Leticia Vargas, 67, refuted several rumors circulating on social media, saying that despite claims, Maldonado Pacheco was not known to cause trouble or be troubled.
The ladies were also puzzled by Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino’s claim at an earlier press conference that Pacheco Maldonado allegedly shot the victims in retaliation for being bullied by them.
Online commentators further speculated that the bullying was tied to the suspect’s employment woes; however, Wynn Alvarado said the suspect worked with Vargas’ husband, 50-year-old Donaciano Guzman Vargas, who was also a victim in Sunday’s shooting.
Confirming what Sheriff Trevino clarified earlier in the week, Wynn Alvarado said the suspect was not a blood relative of any of the victims but had rented a room on the property for the past four years.
However, the sheriff and the women agreed that Maldonado Pacheco was considered family and often referred to Leticia Vargas as his “mom.” The surviving children called the suspect their “uncle,” Wynn Alvarado said.
“Doña Letty was always someone who helped everybody. He (Maldonado Pacheco) had been with the family for almost four years. She (Vargas) saw him like a son. He was part of the family. They never excluded him, so we are in shock and trying to put the pieces together as to why,” Wynn Alvarado said. “She would do for him what she would do for her own children,” she added.
According to Trevino, on Sunday, the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office received a call from San Benito Police Department Dispatch reporting that a body had been found in a car in the San Benito area. The vehicle was traced to a residence in the 32000 block of County Road 819, where the remaining victims were found inside the home.
Maria Sanchez Moreno, 28, and Gustavo Guzman Grajales, 29, were among the victims.
According to Trevino, upon arriving at the residence, two of the three children, ages nine and five (a two-month-old baby was found unharmed in a crib), were ordered outside while the adults discussed matters inside.
While outside, the children heard loud cracks, which one of them believed were balloons popping, prompting the child to rush inside the home, where, according to Wynn Alvarado, Maldonado Pacheco allegedly fired upon the remaining victim.
Wynn Alvarado said the suspect then stepped outside the house, where he self-reported after calling 911, and told the children to wait outside for authorities, but not before he allegedly attempted to attack another renter in the household by shouting and attempting to kick down her door.
The woman was present when the NEWS discussed the tragedy with friends and relatives at the County Road property. She declined to elaborate, only looking slightly down and nodding in agreement, her expression concerned and sullen, as Wynn Alvarado described the unfolding events.
Trevino said that Maldonado Pacheco is a Honduran national who is in the United States unlawfully. The suspect appeared in court on Monday for his arraignment and was ordered to remain in jail without bond because he is considered a flight risk and a danger to the public.
According to Cameron County Jail logs, he was charged with Capital Murder of Multiple Persons and with multiple counts of Child Endangerment and Abandonment.
Meanwhile, the community and surrounding areas are rallying around the surviving family, particularly the children.
Wynn Alvarado has set up a GoFundMe account for Leticia Vargas to help cover funeral expenses, and other family members are doing the same for the other victims. A barbecue fundraiser is tentatively scheduled for Sat., Sept. 19, at 855 W. Expressway 83 in San Benito. The public can find more information on Wynn Alvarado’s Facebook page.
The San Benito CISD is also accepting donations (including monetary donations) for the children at Angela G. Leal Elementary School, located at 33356 FM 732, San Benito. For more information, call (956) 276-5055.