Mystery witness testifies in trial of Alamo man accused of killing Donna teen

EDINBURG — Throughout the course of the murder trial for the Alamo man accused of murdering a Donna teen, there has been mention of an individual named “Jorge.”

Carlos Julian Contreras, 23, who is accused of shooting and killing 19-year-old Genaro Isaiah “Izzy” Castillo on Jan. 14, 2020 near Donna Lake, had told Hidalgo County Sheriff’s investigators about an individual named “Jorge” who’d participated in the murder.

Those investigators said initially that they had determined that “Jorge” did not exist, and Contreras is the only person who has been charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

On Friday morning, 21-year-old Jorge Veliz was called to testify.

The day prior, Contreras’s girlfriend, Miranda Luna, gave an emotional testimony in which she accused Veliz of forcing the suspect to shoot Castillo and threatening the couple if they spoke to police.

Now on the stand and under oath, Veliz told the court that Contreras killed Castillo, and forced him to participate.

Veliz is currently on probation for human smuggling. He was arrested by Edinburg police on July 13, 2021 when he was found with one person in the country illegally that he was transporting, according to court records.

While testifying Friday, he admitted to participating in human smuggling, and he identified Contreras as an associate who also participated in smuggling, but said that they are not close. He also said that he was unaware of the victim ever participating in the smuggling scheme.

He recalled receiving a call from Contreras on the afternoon of Jan. 14, 2020. He said that the Contreras had invited him to go eat. He recalled being picked up at his home in Alamo by Contreras in his white truck with Luna in the passenger seat and Castillo sitting behind her.

At the time, he said that he did not know Castillo very well. He also said that he did not know Luna.

Jorge Veliz, 21, took the stand in the murder trial of Carlos Julian Contreras, 23, on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (Francisco Jimenez | The Monitor)

Veliz said that Castillo appeared to be under the influence of drugs based on the way he was speaking. He said that everything seemed fine at first but then Contreras began driving toward Donna Lake — somewhere Veliz claims he had never been to.

He said that as they approached the area, Contreras pulled out a gun. Veliz accused Contreras of taking out a pair of handcuffs and telling him to place them on Castillo.

Castillo, who Veliz said looked panicked, asked Contreras why. Veliz said that he also asked Contreras why he wanted him to handcuff Castillo, but he said that Carlos pointed the gun at him and demanded that he follow his instructions.

Veliz said that Contreras told him to get into the driver’s seat before he pulled Castillo out of the backseat of the truck. He recalled Castillo continuing to ask why Contreras was doing that, adding that they were brothers.

Veliz said he heard Contreras tell Castillo, “I’m sorry bro,” and then he heard two gunshots.

“I’m sorry bro. I have to do it,” he heard Contreras say before hearing the rest of the gunshots.

When asked about Luna, he said that she did not say anything and continued to use her phone from the passenger seat of the truck.

After the shooting, Veliz said that Contreras got into the backseat behind Luna and told him to drive. As they drove past a body of water, he said he saw Contreras roll down his window and toss something out of the truck, but he did not see what the item was.

Veliz said that he felt scared on the drive back to his house, but described Contreras and Luna as acting like nothing had happened.

Once back at his house, Veliz said that Contreras told him to take the gun and sell it, but he refused. He said that Contreras and Luna stayed in the truck outside of his house for about two minutes and were kissing.

Girlfriend of Alamo man claims he was forced to shoot Donna teen

Not long afterward, Veliz said that he went to his mother’s house and told her what had happened. He said that she advised him to go to the police, which he then did.

He recalled going to the Alamo Police Department, but claimed that the police told him that they could not help him.

Later that evening, he said that he was stopped by an Alamo police officer because he had run a stop sign. When asked why he did not tell the police officer about the murder, Veliz said that he had already tried and they didn’t help.

When asked how he felt after the murder, Veliz said that he felt scared for his children because Contreras knew where he lived.

The following day, he heard that investigators with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Officer were looking for him. He said that he voluntarily went to the sheriff’s office and spoke with the investigators. He recalled helping them find the clothes he’d been wearing at the time of the murder and giving them consent to search his vehicle.

Veliz has never been charged in the murder of Castillo.

He said that he has not been in contact with Contreras or Luna since the murder, adding that he does not know where they live. He said that he believes that Luna had something to do with Castillo’s murder because “she acted like nothing happened.”

Just before defense attorneys were about to cross examine Veliz, state District Judge Nereida Lopez-Singleterry released the jury for lunch.

With Veliz still on the stand, Lopez-Singleterry began reading him his rights. Veliz then said that he wished to have an attorney present to represent him. Veliz told the court that he’d been instructed by one of the prosecutors not to hire his own attorney.

After the lunch break, Lopez-Singleterry said that she is concerned about Veliz’s request to hire his own attorney. She granted him his request and told him to return to court on Monday.

The jury was then released for the weekend. The trial is scheduled to continue Monday.

Here’s the latest update:

Jury sees interrogation of Alamo man accused of killing Donna teen

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