Affidavit: Men accused of beating man to death with hammer, burying body in barrel

EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A probable cause affidavit provided new details in an ongoing murder investigation.

Samuel Uvalle Sr. and Jesus Grijalva Jr. were arrested by the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office on a charge of murder. A third suspect, Roberto Salas, is still wanted by authorities on a murder charge as well.

From left: Jesus Grijvala, Roberto Salas and Samuel Uvalle Sr. (Source: Hidalgo County Jail press release)

On May 11, deputies responded to the 1300 block of Val-Bar drive in Alamo for a report of a missing person. There, deputies spoke with a woman who said her husband, Juan Carlos Hernandez De Leon, had been missing since May 6.

On May 15, investigators learned that a person known as "Joker," identified as Grijalva, was "using a tractor and was actively burying something which was later learned to be a human body," the affidavit stated.

Investigators also learned that the three men had assaulted and kicked the man, identified as Hernandez De Leon.

Witnesses said that on May 7, Uvalle went to Grijalva's house at the 1900 block of Morningset Drive in San Juan and started arguing with Hernandez De Leon. Uvalle allegedly then began assaulting Hernandez De Leon with a hammer, the affidavit stated.

Salas and Grijalva allegedly joined Uvalle in the beating, with Grijalva also using a hammer. According to a witness, the three men then put his body in a barrel and went to a property on E. Wisconsin Road in Edinburg, where it was buried, the document stated.

Investigators searched the property and found the body of a man in the barrel, which was buried. The body was presumed to be Hernandez De Leon.

Uvalle and Grijalva were taken into custody and are scheduled to be arraigned on Monday afternoon.