Real Name: Patricia Torres Paz
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Location: Rocksprings, Texas
Date: February 28, 1996
Case[]
Details: On February 28, 1996, thirty-five-year-old Patricia Paz was found brutally assaulted and murdered in her home in Rocksprings, Texas. Authorities believe she was killed either on the night of February 26 or on February 27. A large party occurred across the street from her house around the time of her murder. An autopsy revealed that she had been raped and then stabbed to death.
Authorities believed that the murderer(s) stayed in the house for several hours after she was killed and then tried to set it on fire to cover up the crime. However, the fire never spread and did not destroy the evidence. Authorities believe the motive was money, as she had a disability check that she had cashed shortly before she was killed. Her family and the authorities are still searching for her killer or killers.
Suspects: None known
Extra Notes: This case was uploaded to the Unsolved Mysteries website on October 10, 2014. The people interviewed in the video are Patricia's sister, Deana, and the county sheriff, Pamela Elliott.
Results: Unresolved. Interest in the case from Unsolved Mysteries led to a new investigation. As a result, in July of 2015, Patricia's niece and nephew, forty-year-old Angelica Marie and thirty-seven-year-old George "Poche" Torres, were arrested and charged with Patricia's murder. Authorities believe that they killed her for the money that she had, and that they used her money for drug-related purposes. A witness reported that he knew that the two had killed her for money. According to authorities, George made statements that placed him at Patricia's home around the time of the murder. His alibi also changed and he allegedly confessed to the murder to others. DNA evidence linked hairs found in the home to Angelica. Authorities noted that there were five other suspects that were with the siblings that day and were involved in the murder, but they were not initially arrested.
A few days later, two more suspects were arrested: George's ex-girlfriend Christina "Tina" Flores and Tina's ex Neri Garcia. Garcia had been named as the "primary aggressor" by an informant who was allegedly there when the murder was committed. The informant gave investigators detailed knowledge about the crime scene, which led them to believe that he was telling the truth. Specifically, he stated that Garcia had attacked and bitten Patricia. The bite mark had not been released to the public. The informant also claimed that Patricia's body had makeup on, applied the same way that Flores does when she "is high on drugs". The informant noted that another nephew of Patricia's, Juan "Carlos" Martinez, was also involved in the murder. He died several years prior to the arrests.
However, the informant's story fell apart when it was discovered that Garcia was at a youth ranch during the time that the murder took place. As a result, charges against the four suspects were dropped in September. No other suspects have been arrested or identified.
Links:
- Patricia Paz at Unsolved.com
- Crime Stoppers seeks clues into 1996 slaying - July 14, 2014
- Suspects arrested 19 years after Rocksprings murder - July 25, 2015
- 2 siblings charged in 1996 killing of aunt in South Texas - July 26, 2015
- Family of Rocksprings murder victim relieved at suspects' arrest - July 27, 2015
- Blooming Prairie woman, brother charged in 19-year-old Texas homicide - July 27, 2015
- Murder in Rocksprings: Four Arrested in 19-Year-Old Capital Murder - October 9, 2015
- Murder in Rocksprings: Confidential Informant Breaks the Case - October 10, 2015
- Murder in Rocksprings: The Suspects Walk - October 12, 2015