Affidavit: Socorro man accused of killing brother said he smoked meth and ‘snapped’

The man accused of murdering his brother in Socorro told detectives he was smoking meth and “snapped” when his brother verbally threatened him, a criminal complaint obtained by ABC-7 states.

Investigators identified the suspect in the deadly stabbing as Catalino Romero, 34. Romero, charged with Murder, was booked into the county jail on a $1-million bond.

At approximately 9:30 p.m. on July 11, 2018, the Socorro Police Department and Tigua Tribal Police were sent to the residence at 11181 Tomas Granillo street in Socorro, Texas to investigate a stabbing.

A Socorro police officer who arrived at the scene noticed a man inside a 2004 Honda Odyssey with California plates. The minivan was stationary, running and with its lights on. As the officer activated the emergency lights on his patrol unit, the driver of the minivan allegedly drove away and led the officer on a brief vehicle pursuit.

The criminal complaint does not go into detail regarding the chase, merely stating the driver of the minivan, later identified as Romero, returned to the scene of the crime. The document states Romero attempted to gain entry into the residence before he was apprehended by police.

Police said Romero was saying he wanted to get back in the residence to see his brother, later identified as 20-year-old Emilio Gonzalez. Police searched Romero for any weapons and allegedly found a black pocket knife in Romero’s front pocket. “The knife had a red substance believed to be blood on the handle,” the criminal complaint states.

When investigators entered the residence, they found Gonzalez, suffering from several stab wounds, in a pool of blood inside a restroom. Investigators said Gonzalez had one laceration on his left arm and another laceration “to the left neck area.” Gonzalez was rushed to a hospital, where he later died, the sheriff’s office said.

Detectives later spoke with the mother of the brothers, living at the home with her three sons at the time. The woman, identified as Irene Romero De La Torre, said she woke up to loud “banging sounds” at about 9 p.m. When she walked to the restroom, she found Gonzalez on the floor, suffering from several stab wounds. The mother told investigators she saw Romero walking in and out of his bedroom. Romero was holding something in his hand, the woman said, but she could not make out what it was.

The woman’s third son, Anthony, warned his mother that Romero was holding a knife. When the mother asked Romero what happened, Romero allegedly replied, “I (expletive) up. Me and him (Gonzalez) were doing some (expletive) and we were (expletive) up. I don’t know what the (expletive) I did, but it was me.”

Under interrogation at the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, Romero allegedly told detectives he was smoking methamphetamines and Gonzalez verbally threatened him. Romero told detectives he could not remember what Gonzalez said, only that he “snapped” and stabbed Gonzalez with his pocket knife, the criminal complaint states.

Romero allegedly told detectives he stabbed Gonzalez twice in the neck area and “was unsure of any other wounds” he may have caused.