Trial scheduled for Brownsville teen charged in deadly stabbing

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A trial has been scheduled for a Brownsville teenager charged in connection to a deadly stabbing.

Ernesto De Los Reyes is facing a charge of murder for the fatal stabbing of 20-year-old Rolando Reyna Jr., records show.

At 5:24 a.m. Sept. 24, 2023, Brownsville police officers responded to the Bella Terra Apartments, located at the 3200 block of Galeno Crossing for a stabbing.

There they found a man, identified as Reyna, outside the apartment complex parking lot. Police said Reyna had been stabbed in the chest by an acquaintance, identified as De Los Reyes during a physical altercation.

Witnesses told police Reyna and De Los Reyes were being confrontational throughout the night, and things escalated in the parking lot. Additionally, witnesses said De Los Reyes was still inside the apartment complex with the knife with him, according to a news release.

Officers instructed him to come out, and he walked out with a knife in his right hand. He was initially arrested on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but the charge was upgraded after Reyna died from his injuries at the hospital.

On Jan. 23, De Los Reyes entered a plea of not guilty. A jury trial has been scheduled for March 25.