Deputies arrest suspect 22 years after horse argument leads to murder

RIO GRANDE CITY — The lead paragraph of the murder story remained true for more than 22 years.

"It started with an argument over who had the better roping horse. It ended with one man dead and another on the run," the April 21, 1987 story in The Monitor stated.

The investigation remained open for more than two decades as Starr County Sheriff's deputies looked for the man they believe killed Garceño resident Margarito Alaniz Jr. on Easter Sunday in 1987.

But a tip received in recent weeks dusted off the case and led investigators to their suspect.

Investigators arrested Juan Francisco Martinez, 53, at a Roma house Wednesday night, Starr County Sheriff Rene Fuentes said.

Starr County deputies worked with the U.S. Marshals Service to investigate the case and the recent tip traced Martinez to Houston, the sheriff said. Further investigation led them to Roma.

He will be arraigned on murder charges today in a Starr County courtroom.

Alaniz and Martinez were friends together on Easter Sunday in 1987 when they got into an argument over who had the better roping horse that evening at the San Julian Ranch northwest of Rio Grande City.

The dispute climaxed when Martinez allegedly shot Alaniz, 30, four times with a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol.

"He died within minutes," the Monitor story reads.

Deputies obtained a warrant for Martinez's arrest the day after the alleged murder.

Investigators suspected Martinez, a native of Ciudad Victoria, Tamps., fled to Mexico after the shooting. He had been living in Escobares with his wife at the time.