Trial date announced for Treviño brothers, friend, charged in murder of stepdad

PHARR, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The trial date for two Pharr brothers accused of killing their stepfather, who allegedly sexually assaulted a family member, is scheduled for October.

Christian and Alejandro Treviño will appear in the 93rd district court on September 18 for a status hearing to decide if they will have a joint trial.

Christian and Alejandro Trevino (Hidalgo County Jail records)

The brothers are scheduled to go before a jury trial on Oct. 27. They are charged in connection with the 2022 murder of their stepfather, 43-year-old Gabriel Quintanilla.

Christian, 20, faces charges of capital murder by terroristic threat/other felony and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Alejandro, 21, is facing a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon

Court records indicate that there is an ICE hold on both Christian and Alejandro's cases.

Background

In 2022, Quintanilla had a warrant out for his arrest for continuous sexual assault of a child, according to Pharr police. Police stated Quintanilla's alleged history of continuous assault happened between 2014 and 2016 in a separate incident unrelated to the individuals involved in this case.

The original assault on a child related to the Trevino brothers was reported in May 2019.

Just a few months later, the brothers and a friend of theirs found themselves at the center of a murder investigation when Quintanilla's body was found in an open field in McAllen.

On Jan. 20, 2022, Alejandro and Christian fought Quintanilla at a residence. After the assault, he allegedly left the residence.

Christian ran after Quintanilla and found him outside an apartment complex down the road by Lyndon and Coyote in Pharr. There, a second assault allegedly took place.

Police then say Alejandro and a driver of a red Dodge Charger, identified as 22-year-old Juan Eduardo Melendez, caught up and joined the assault on Quintanilla.

Melendez was a friend of Christian and Alejandro.

Melendez is charged with capital murder by terroristic threat/other felony and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to Hidalgo County records.

He will also appear in the 93rd district court on September 18 for a status hearing to decide if he will have a joint trial with the Trevino brothers.

Melendez's trial date is scheduled for Oct. 27.

On the day of the alleged attack on Quintanilla, Melendez dropped off Alejandro at his home.

After dropping off Alejandro, Christian and Melendez saw Quintanilla walking along Veterans Road alone and injured. The two boys allegedly beat him for a third time.

Christian and Melendez placed Quintanilla in the bed of their truck and dropped him off in an open field off McColl and Whalen Road. 

An investigation revealed Quintanilla was severely beaten with brass knuckles and that he suffered severe head trauma.

ValleyCentral will update this article with the latest information about the outcome of the status hearings for each respective suspect.