Pharr man beat 7-year-old brother prior to strangling him to death

A 24-year-old Pharr man beat his 7-year-old brother following a verbal argument before he strangled the child to death.

Brandon Dion Garza is charged with capital murder of a child for killing his brother Luke Alaniz in the early morning hours of Jan. 9.

A probable cause affidavit for Garza’s arrest said the child’s mother called 911 at 3:22 a.m. that day to say that her son killed his brother.

The responding officer made entry to the residence and saw Garza standing by a doorway.

“The defendant was wearing a black shirt, which had a red blood stain on it. The defendant also had dried blood on his forehead,” the affidavit stated.

Police then found Alaniz in a hallway on the floor and began to provide first aid until medics arrived and transported the child to a hospital in McAllen where he died.

“Officers approached the defendant and asked him what had happened, and that is when he stated that I choked him out,” the affidavit stated.

Alaniz’s mother told police that Garza called her at 3:13 a.m. and told her that Alaniz was not breathing and that she needed to come home, according to the affidavit.

Police say Garza waived his Miranda rights and provided a statement.

“The defendant stated that he got into a verbal argument with his brother, which later turned physical,” the affidavit stated. “The defendant stated that he punched his brother several times in the face at different locations of the apartment.”

Garza then grabbed his brother, threw him to the floor, straddled and pinned him down, and strangled the child, according to the affidavit.

He remains held in the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on a $2 million bond.

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