RGV True Crime: Anonymous tip leads to double murder suspect

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — In this edition of RGV True Crime, we examine the mind, motives and makings of a killer.

A once peaceful neighborhood in Harlingen turned into a crime scene where investigators spent countless hours solving two murder cases.

Anthony Eliff III was found guilty of fatally shooting his roommate inside a car with a single gunshot to the chest on Feb. 6, 2020.

Guillermo Garcia's death marked the first murder case of 2020 for the City of Harlingen.

The murder case took an immediate turn when the Harlingen Police Department received a voicemail from Eliff, one day after the fatal shooting.

24 hours later

Eliff agreed to meet with investigators to discuss what happened the night Garcia was killed.

Investigators obtained surveillance footage from a nearby residence, showing Eliff firing a single shot into a car and leaving the scene with his girlfriend, Cheyenne Rivera.

Rivera told investigators that Eliff yelled "I shot him! I shot him!" before leaving the murder scene.

Eliff told investigators he saw who shot Garcia, but did not disclose any names.

Investigators determined that Eliff's story did not match the surveillance footage or other witness statements.

The investigation continues

Eliff was charged with first-degree murder two days into the investigation after the murder weapon — a Silver Colt 45 — was found stashed behind his cousin's house.

The arrest was made after police received an anonymous tip, revealing where Eliff stashed the gun.

The tip also gave detectives a lead in the cold case murder of 32-year-old Elyn Loera.

The anonymous tip revealed Loera, who was dating Eliff at the time of her death, was buried behind Eliff's grandparents' upholstery shop in San Benito.

Loera was first reported missing in September 2019 after traveling from Corpus Christi to Harlingen to see Eliff for her birthday.

Detectives revealed Loera and Eliff stayed at the Hudson Hotel in Harlingen.

No one ever heard from Loera again after the hotel visit.

A pause in the investigation

Authorities began to search for Loera's body after receiving the anonymous tip about her whereabouts.

In the field, authorities found 46 apparent human bones, including a human skull, human hair, a blue tarp, one blanket, a towel, a bottle cap, a shovel and a projectile.

"To me, it's just somber, I remember because I was out there. It was just quiet. We're just searching, looking for things, and it's just sad when you find somebody out there like that," said Sgt. Larry Moore with the Harlingen Police Department.

Eliff spoke with investigators on Loera's death and admitted he and Loera had argued at the hotel over an intimate video of her with another man.

Investigators searched the hotel room and Eliff's phone, revealing photos of the couple at the hotel.

One photo showed a blanket similar to the one found in Loera's grave.

Investigators also noticed that the hotel room's fridge was missing a second shelf and resembled the one in the grave.

While investigators waited for DNA results to confirm if Loera was buried in the shallow grave, all their work was about to come to a grinding stop when COVID-19 emerged in the United States.

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, shutting down courts and leaving two families praying for swift justice.

Three years later, Day 1 of the Eliff murder trial

After roughly 1,300 days, the murder trial began for Eliff, who was accused of killing his roommate.

Eliff's attorney argued self-defense, stating Eliff feared he was going to be killed during an argument with Garcia.

Detective Joel Yanez with the Harlingen Police Department testified for days, reading out loud letters Eliff wrote to his ex-wife while he was in jail.

One of the letters Eliff wrote stated, "I shot a man one time and he died."

Alex Hernandez, the homeowner of the residence where Garcia was killed, testified and admitted to being high on crack cocaine before the shooting and deleting the doorbell camera footage in a panic.

Eliff's attorneys call Hernandez's testimony rehearsed and continue to question the credibility of events that happened the night of the murder.

Day 4 of the Eliff murder trial

The fourth day of the murder trial focused on the experts — a firearms examiner and a forensic pathologist.

Retired firearms examiner Richard Hitchcox confirmed the bullet that killed Garcia came from Anthony's gun.

"I can tell you that bullet was fired from that firearm, and that cartridge case was fired in that firearm," Hitchcox testified.

Forensic pathologist Elizabeth J. Miller testified that the bullet went right through Garcia's heart and the gun was right to his chest.

"A rounded entrance wound of that had evidence of what appeared to be a muzzle imprint and some seared soot at that entrance," Miller said.

The jury's decision

After one week of testimony and years since Eliff fired a single gunshot through the heart of his roommate, the jury is back with a decision.

When the jury deliberated Eliff's sentence length, prosecutors made it a point to bring up his prior criminal history.

Eliff was previously convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 30 years. He was also convicted of robbery, a felony and threatened to kill a jail guard.

On October 2, 2023, Eliff was sentenced to 75 years in prison for murder and 20 years for the additional charge of a felon having a gun.

However, Eliff still had pending charges in connection with Loera's death.

Nearly two years after he faced a judge for the murder of his roommate, Eliff pleaded guilty to killing his out-of-town girlfriend.

With Eliff admitting guilt, there is no chance of getting out of jail.

Loera's younger brothers Judas and Ramsey were not in the courtroom when Eliff was sentenced.

"I wouldn't stand to look at him. I just can't," Ramsey said.

"I don't think it's enough justice," Judas said.

Both brothers lost a sister to a crime and their mother, Rosie.

Rosie died during the COVID-19 pandemic, waiting for answers on her daughter's murder.

Garcia's mother died, as well as his sister Dalia, while waiting for answers.