Man charged with machete murder in McAllen

A A Honduran man accused of killing a Salvadoran man with a machete in June has been charged with murder.

Hector Neptaly Reyes Mendoza, 26, is accused of murdering 47-year-old Jose Edgardo Sorto Molina on June 5.

At 8:45 p.m. that day, McAllen police responded to a call to a residence in the 2000 block of Houston Avenue regarding a welfare check because Sorto had not been seen since June 3, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The next day, the detectives returned and upon their arrival noticed the smell of a decomposing corpse coming from one of the rooms in the house.

The affidavit said the room belonged to Reyes.

Investigators noticed that the door to Reyes' room was locked with a padlock from the outside, the document says.

When investigators went inside, they found Sorto's body on a bed, covered with blankets and clothing.

Sorto's body was found to have numerous deep cuts on his head, apparently caused by a large blade.

The affidavit states that an empty machete sheath was found hanging on the wall in another area of ​​a residence.

When detectives questioned other residents of the same town, they learned that only Reyes was missing.

A local resident told police that an argument broke out between Reyes and Sorto because Reyes took Sorto's machete.

Although Sorto was last seen alive on June 3, he sent someone a text message on June 4.

Investigators also learned that Reyes was seen sweating on the evening of June 4 and claimed he had been locked out of his room.

He asked for money before he disappeared.

“Investigators also found surveillance video showing a man matching Hector's description in the vicinity of the crime scene during the evening hours of June 4, 2024,” the affidavit states.

The affidavit does not provide details on how police found and arrested Reyes, but he remains incarcerated at the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on $1 million bail.

He is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday before State District Judge Rose Guerra Reyna.