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New court documents have identified the youngest of three women charged over the fatal stabbing of a Texas mother of five as the person police say carried out the deadly attack.
According to the City of Del Rio Police Department, Amaya "Cookie" Diaz, 19, her sister Kitty Mia Diaz, 21, and their friend Kyandra Renee Faz, 21, have all been charged with first-degree murder following the death of 32-year-old Caroline "Caro" Peña.
Authorities say the attack happened in broad daylight on June 25 in Del Rio, Texas, with Peña later dying from her injuries after being transferred to a trauma hospital in San Antonio.
Del Rio sits along the United States and Mexico border, roughly 150 miles west of San Antonio, where Peña died after several hours of emergency treatment.
Following her death later that evening, the charges against all three suspects were upgraded to murder. Each woman was given a $5 million bond and requested a court-appointed attorney during a court appearance.
According to court documents obtained by The New York Post, police believe Cookie Diaz was the person who repeatedly stabbed Peña during the confrontation.
The complaint states that Faz told investigators Peña had "arrived at her residence looking to start a fight."
As detectives investigated the case, they reviewed surveillance footage, examined physical evidence and interviewed witnesses. Police say the video showed Peña arriving in her black Dodge pickup truck at Faz's residence before Cookie and Kitty Diaz arrived in a black Chrysler 300.
According to investigators, the footage shows Cookie getting out of the passenger side of the vehicle while holding what officers believed was a knife in her right hand before confronting Peña.
Police allege Cookie then struck Peña in the back, with blood soon becoming visible on the mother's shirt. Court documents state that Kitty Diaz and Faz then joined the assault by physically attacking Peña before the three women fled the area.
Officers arrested Cookie and Kitty Diaz without incident at about 4PM on Thursday. Video recorded by a bystander showed the sisters being taken into custody by police, with footage circulating widely online following the arrests.
Faz was arrested a short time later.
All three women were transported to the GEO Correctional Facility in Del Rio, where they remain in custody.
Peña was initially taken to Val Verde Regional Medical Center before being transferred to a specialized trauma facility in San Antonio because of the severity of her injuries.
Investigators were notified at about 9PM that Peña had died.
Authorities have not released a motive for the deadly attack, and investigators have not said what led up to the confrontation.
Police say the investigation remains active and ongoing as detectives continue gathering evidence and working to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident. Authorities have also said additional charges could be filed as the investigation progresses.
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In newly released footage, two young sisters are seen pulling funny faces and laughing with each other as cops drag them away from their home in handcuffs.
Amaya Cookie Diaz, 19, and Kitty Mia Diaz, 21, have been accused of fatally stabbing mom-of-five Caroline “Caro” Peña, 32, repeatedly in broad daylight.
The video of the young women being arrested showed Kitty smiling at the ground while being led into a police car by officers while wearing black shorts and a crop top with a graphic depicting hands over her breasts.
Moments later, her younger sister emerged in a similar outfit and performed to the camera. She giggled and joked with the person behind the camera, sarcastically yelling: “Stop recording."
The Del Rio Police Department said officers also arrested a third woman, identified as 21-year-old Kyandra Renee Faz, in relation to the broad-daylight killing.
The trio was each charged with murder and transported to a local jail, according to police. No motive for the attack has been made public yet.
A journalist in Del Rio, a small town near the Mexican border where the murder took place, told the New York Post that he recorded the video after receiving a tip-off about the heavy police presence in the area, without knowing what the young women were being arrested for.
Speaking about the five police cars outside the property where the sisters lived, Michael Elizondo said: “I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew it must be serious.
"I saw the first girl going into the car, and I thought, ‘Whatever.’ … But the second one caught my eye.
"That girl was in a happy mood. … She was all smiling, goofing off like nothing happened."
Recounting the shocking reaction to being arrested for murder, Elizondo said: “All of a sudden I see the window go down, and the girl was sticking out her face, sticking out her tongue and goofing off.”
Neighbours in the area told the independent journalist that they witnessed the sisters “driving recklessly” down the road earlier in the day.
One person also alleged that they saw the victim covered in blood while facing her three attackers outside a Sonic drive-through before she died at a hospital in San Antonio at around 9PM.
The sisters and Faz were each charged with murder and transported to a local jail, according to the Del Rio Police Department.
A Texas mom has defended fatally shooting a 14-year-old boy who was trying to enter her home.
Aleah Wallace, a Fort Worth mother of four, spoke exclusively to FOX 4 about the recent incident in which she shot and killed a 14-year-old boy attempting to break into her rental home.
The tragic event has sparked yet another conversation around self-defense and gun ownership.
The incident occurred on December 14, when Wallace - who lives with her four daughters in a duplex - heard someone attempting to break in. Wallace revealed that she had recently acquired a gun to protect her family after a series of break-ins in the local area.
"I was cleaning my living room, sweeping my floor, and I heard my window start going back up," Wallace recalled. "So I went, and I stood in the hallway. And I could see him standing at the window, lifting it up. I just shot."
The gunshots tragically claimed the life of 14-year-old Devin Baker, who was at the bedroom window of Wallace's eight-year-old daughter. The incident occurred not long after the police had left Wallace's home following her 911 call about the attempted break-in.
Wallace explained that she had experienced four attempted burglaries before this incident, and she felt she had to take action to protect her family.
"I have four daughters. It’s just me and my four daughters that stay there. I just was protecting my daughters," she said. "I'm devastated that he was 14. I hate that. I literally do. And I'm so sorry. But at that point, I had to think about my babies. I didn’t know he was 14 when he was on the other side of that window.
"All I knew was that somebody could come in and hurt me or my kids. That's it."
The case has been sent to a grand jury - but no charges have been filed against Wallace at this time.
Wallace has also revealed that she is now facing eviction from her subsidized housing. She claims that her apartment management informed her that she was not allowed to have a gun, despite her repeated reports of attempted break-ins. Wallace said she was given 30 days to vacate her apartment and now faces uncertainty about housing for her family.
"I feel like I'm back at square one. I was there for six years, and now I don't know what to do," she said.
There is no clear law prohibiting residents of government-subsidized housing from owning a gun, and no signs indicating such restrictions were found on the property.
The complex's local manager directed inquiries to the corporate office, which, in turn, advised contacting on-site management.
In another report by Fox, it was revealed that the teenager was an eighth-grader at a local middle school.
His mom had revealed that he snuck out of the house that evening, and she didn't realize he was gone until the morning.
The final social media post of a 17-year-old Texas high school athlete who was fatally stabbed during a track and field meet has been revealed.
The tragic incident took place in Frisco on April 2, leaving two families devastated and a community in shock.
Austin Metcalf - a junior at Frisco Memorial High School and a promising football player - died after being stabbed once in the chest during an altercation with fellow student Karmelo Anthony, also 17, from Frisco Centennial High School.
The confrontation unfolded under a school tent at Kuykendall Stadium just after 10:00AM and reportedly began over seating arrangements during a weather delay.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by NBC DFW, Metcalf had asked Anthony to move seats under the pop-up tent.
When he physically attempted to shift Anthony, the suspect allegedly pulled out a black knife and stabbed Metcalf once in the chest. "I was protecting myself," Anthony reportedly told officers at the scene, per an affidavit. "He put his hands on me."
Anthony also allegedly told police: “I’m not alleged, I did it,” and questioned whether the incident could be considered self-defense.
Despite immediate medical efforts — including CPR and a blood transfusion — Metcalf was pronounced dead from his injuries at a nearby hospital. His twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, was present during the stabbing and held Austin in his final moments.
"He didn't deserve it," Hunter said, per NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. "I know people that lose their family members all the time, but I just didn't know it would be mine so soon. My best friend, my brother, my whole life."
Now, it has been revealed that Austin's final social media post before his death read: "Faith that God got me and my work will pay off."
The post has since been flooded with tributes to Austin.
Their mother, Meghan Metcalf, told WFAA that Hunter "was trying to save his brother" and "saw when he took his last breath before the CPR came back in." She remembered Austin as "the most amazing kid," citing his academic successes and dreams of playing college football.
Jeff Metcalf, Austin's father, echoed the heartbreak, describing his son as "a bright young man with a great future ahead of him." He said, "His smile would light up the room. His passion for football was unbelievable." Jeff also noted that he rushed to find Hunter after realizing the severity of Austin's injury. "We prayed, and it’s God’s plan, I don’t understand it, but they weren’t able to save him. This is murder."
The Metcalf family has since launched a GoFundMe campaign that has raised over $200,000 in Austin’s memory.
In a separate interview, the suspect’s father, Andrew Anthony, defended his son’s character and maintained that he was not the aggressor.
“Everyone has already made their assumptions about my son, but he’s not what they’re making him out to be,” he said, per the New York Post. “He’s a good kid. He works two jobs. He’s an A student, has a 3.7 GPA. He was not the one who started it.”
He added: "I feel bad for the other parents and family, and words can’t explain how both [families] have been affected by this tragedy."
Karmelo Anthony was arrested at the scene and charged with first-degree murder.
He is currently being held at the Collin County Jail on a $1 million bond.
Former Dallas ISD Chief of Police Craig Miller told NBC DFW that metal detectors are not typically used in Frisco Independent School District facilities, including athletic events, making it easier for weapons to be brought onto campus.
The mother of the Uvalde school shooter was confronted in the street by family members of one of his 21 deceased victims.
Adriana Martinez had been walking across the street in the small Texas town when relatives of one of the 19 children her son killed at Robb Elementary School on May 24 approached her, Telemundo reported.
"You have no right to judge my son!" Martinez shouted over at relatives of the late 10-year-old fourth-grader Amerie Jo Garza. "May God forgive y'all."
The verbal altercation kicked off when a black SUV with some of Garza's relatives inside stopped in the middle of the street to confront Martinez who was seen crossing the road, footage by Telemundo shows.
Some of those inside the vehicle rolled their windows down as others exited the car to shout at Martinez - the mother of 18-year-old Salvador Ramos who shot dead 19 children and two teachers at a local elementary school.
"What reason did he have? Because he was pissed off at you? Because you destroyed him?" one relative shouted.
"What reason did he have to kill 21 [people]," another family member screamed.
Martinez responded: "I didn't know."
She went on to add: "I know my son was a coward. You don't think I don't know that? I know. You don't think I'm carrying all that with me? You don't think I don't know. I know. And I'm sorry."
Garza's family had just left a meeting with other loved ones of the 19 young victims when the confrontation took place, Telemundo reported. It was not noted by the outlet whether Martinez was at the same meeting.
Just days after the May 24 rampage, Martinez told CNN her son "had his reasons for doing what he did and please don't judge him."
Martinez asked for forgiveness for herself and her teen son, who was ultimately killed by officers who attended the scene.
"I only want the innocent children who died to forgive me. Forgive me, forgive my son. I know he had his reasons," she said.
The massacre in the town of Uvalde was the deadliest shooting at a school in the US since 20 children and six adults were shot dead at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.
The young gunman entered Robb Elementary School at around 11:32 AM. He was armed with a handgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle before "horrifically, incomprehensibly" opening fire, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said.
“My heart is broken today,” said Hal Harrell, the school district superintendent, per The Guardian. “We’re a small community, and we’re going to need your prayers to get through this.”
An 11-year-old boy was fatally stabbed in Chicago as he tried to protect his pregnant mom from her "abusive ex-boyfriend."
Crosetti Brand, 37, was charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in connection with the deadly attack on Wednesday. Jayden Perkins was killed in the harrowing incident and his mother, Laterria Smith, was left in critical condition, ABC 7 reports.
Brand was Smith's ex-partner and was on parole after he was sentenced to 16 years in prison for a home invasion.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said that Brand was released on parole just a day before the knife attack.
According to Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, the youngster passed away from a stab wound to the chest while trying to protect his mother from her allegedly abusive ex on Wednesday morning.
Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti revealed in a press conference that Brand was "paroled and placed on electronic monitoring last October."
"While he was on parole, he threatened the female victim via text and also showed up at her home. He was sent back to prison in February for this parole violation."
Smith had an order of protection against Brand prior to Wednesday's attack after he repeatedly threatened and attacked her and her mother, according to a motion filed by prosecutors in an unrelated case.
The abusive behavior is said to have begun in September 2006 after Smith ended her relationship with him. The suspect arrived at her house and threatened her with a firearm, pulling the trigger in the hallway before making his way out of the property.
Brand reportedly went on to harass the family, throwing rocks at their home and repeatedly calling them. Two years after the split, he is said to have punched the mother at a bus stop for being a relationship with someone else.
A neighbor, who requested anonymity, said Perkins had a younger brother (aged five), and lived in the complex with her partner.
She told the Chicago Tribune that her sister had heard screaming coming from an apartment.
A fundraiser has been set up in support of the victim's family during this time. It has raised $101,940.00 at the time of writing.
Aside from the murder and attempted murder charges, Brand has also been charged with three counts of home invasion with a dangerous weapon, one count of armed robbery with a dangerous weapon, one count of aggravated domestic battery, one count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, one count of violation of a prior order of protection and one issuance of a warrant for a parole violation.
A vigil for Perkins was held by neighbors on Thursday outside the apartment complex.
"No one can replace him. No one can take his place," Perkins' friend Alexis Perez told local ABC affiliate WLS.
"He's the kindest, trustworthy friend you could probably ever ask for," Perkins' friend 12-year-old Nathaniel Vodak told the outlet.
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