Three men indicted in 7-year-old cold case
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Mario Esteban Canchola
It was news Geneva Vega Mireles waited for more than seven years to hear - suspects had finally been indicted in her son's 2004 shooting death.
Mario Esteban Canchola, 26; Albert R. Perez, 37; and Joe Mendoza, 36, were all indicted on July 7 for the death of Mireles' 15-year-old son Joshua "Josh" Anthony Gonzalez.
"I just thought it happened, and they would get away with it," Mireles said through tears after learning of the indictments. "Now, my son can rest."
The three men were indicted on counts of first-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and engaging in organized criminal activity.
Members of the Hermanos Pistoleros Latinos street gang, the men, intended to kill a man named Paul Benavides, but instead shot Anthony Melcher and shot and killed Gonzalez, according to their indictments.
The defendants requested authority to proceed with the murder of Paul Benavides from the ruling "Mesa" of the HPL: They relayed communication of the ruling Mesa authorizing the Benavides' murder; coordinated a meeting of HPL members to plan Benavides' murder; approved the murder; and coordinated the cover up and destruction of evidence, according to their indictments.
Gonzalez was killed in a drive-by shooting in June 2004 at the intersection of Ben Wilson and Port Lavaca Highway.
On June 12, 2004, Gonzalez was a passenger in a Dodge Neon stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of Ben Wilson and Port Lavaca Highway, according to earlier reports.
Gonzalez and three other boys, including his older brother, were stopped at the light when the offenders' vehicle pulled up next to them and fired shots into the vehicle.
Melcher, the driver, was hit in the shoulder by the gunfire from people in a white car while Gonzalez was shot in the head.
After being shot, Melcher drove to Citizens Medical Center where he was treated and released.
Gonzalez was pronounced dead at the hospital.
"I was holding his hand, and he let me go," said Mireles as she recalled the last minutes she spent with her son. "He was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
With the case changing hands from one detective to another and the failure of witnesses to come forward with information, Mireles said she had begun to lose hope that anyone responsible for her son's death would ever be brought to justice.
She said a combination of medication, counseling and support from family members have helped her to get through the years, but each day continues to be a struggle.
"I don't go out. I don't socialize," she said. "It's hard every time his anniversary comes up, or his birthday or a holiday comes up."
The still grieving mother said she hopes Victoria County District Attorney Steve Tyler's next step will be to take the men to trial, avoiding any plea deals.
"They just took a life with no care," Mireles said. "I want them to be tried for what they did to him not just for whatever else they've done. I don't want any plea deal. That's how they get out of it because of another murder they've done or know about."
All three men are currently in custody.
Canchola turned himself in to authorities on Monday.
Meanwhile, Perez is currently serving an eight-year federal sentence on an unlawful weapon conviction as well as a 25-year sentence in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice after pleading guilty in 2007 to the charge of murdering Silvestre Ramos in 2005.
He also is concurrently serving a 20-year sentence for pleading guilty to the aggravated assault of Ramos.
Mendoza is serving a life sentence for the 2003 shooting death of 6-year-old Robert "Polo" Conchola.
A trial date has not yet been set in the Gonzalez case.
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JAM!!!
WOW!!!
July 21, 2011 at 9:41 p.m.3 more dirtbags off the street
give them all the needle or even better, a public hanging
July 21, 2011 at 7:40 p.m.To the family of this young man: May he rest in peace. Hopefully now you will gain some type of closure. With that being said please do not interpret the following as any type of defense or excusing of gang activity or criminal activity.
July 21, 2011 at 5:24 p.m.These "gang members " are sons, brothers, fathers etc. whom I assume have made decisions to join gangs because they feel this is their family. Kids who have no guidance at home because parents are too consumed with their own lives to even pay attention or are too lazy to. They are left alone often due to only one working parent in the household to roam free in the streets, smoking, drinking, doing drugs, wanting someone to see them and when no one does....
First of all my thoughts go out to Mrs Mireles, with hope that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will comfort her.
Secondly, thanks to local law enforcement for their perserverance in finding the ones who are responsible for this senseless act.
Finally, since these pitiful excuses for human beings continue to reek havoc on our society by taking lives, selling illegal drugs, terrorizing citizens with their pack of animal lifestyle, etc.., can our city look for ways to effectively put in place an all out war against gang members. Get people and businesses with money to fund some type of special local program through law enforcement to seek out these thugs and put all of them away. If necessary, put a bounty on them.
Maybe other Victoria citizens could recommend some program that could get more and more gang members out of our community.
July 21, 2011 at 4:38 p.m." You reap what you sow. You are who associate with"...... Well, that's very bible-ee. I don't associate with gang bangers, never have, never will and the vast majority of folks in Victoria don't either, but many Victorian's have been affected by gang bangers and their criminal activity. So riddle me this bible dude, after the bangers get done with their reaping and sowing, why are the non-bangers unfortunate enough to share in the bangers harvest ? And as far as justice being served, ain't it written in that same bible somewhere , a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye and a life for a life ? True justice will only be served when the men who stole Joshua Gonzalez's life, pay it back with their own, anything less amounts to a five finger discount.
July 21, 2011 at 4:14 p.m.Thank god justice will finally be served!
July 21, 2011 at 9:35 a.m.If it looks like a gang member, walk like a gang member, talks like a gang member, it's a gang member.
Sad that families in Victoria embrace and endorse this kind of culture. And when one of their family members who are involved in a gang end up being a victim, the families bemoan the violence, all while supporting their family member's prior association of being in a gang.
You reap what you sow. You are who associate with.
July 21, 2011 at 8:41 a.m.More lowlife scum taken off the streets. To those stupid, hermanos pistoleros latinos (should be dumb %@&@*) and their ruling "mesa" and all the gangs out there: You are all pieces of crap. None of you deserve a trial. You should be taken out and destroyed. You are of no use to anybody and will always be a menace to society. It makes me so angry when I read about stuff like this. Innocent lives destroyed by these thug gang bangers.
July 20, 2011 at 8:48 p.m.