Nephew butchers uncle who was noted restaurateur, cops say
Share this @internewscast.com

Left: David Ruiz (Kimble County Sheriff’s Office). Right: Edward ‘Ron’ Acosta (Las Palapas Restaurants).

A 39-year-old man traveled from California to Texas and murdered his uncle who founded a popular chain of Mexican restaurants, according to police.

Police report that David Ruiz killed 78-year-old Edward “Ronnie” Acosta by stabbing him at his luxurious residence in San Antonio on Tuesday. As a result, Ruiz is now charged with murder.

Acosta was the founder of the Las Palapas restaurant chain, which originated in 1981 as a modest 60-seat establishment in the Alamo City and has since grown across Texas.

The San Antonio Express-News interviewed Ruiz’s father, who revealed that his son was undergoing a mental health crisis and might have been using methamphetamine.

Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.

“I thought I was going to lose him to suicide,” James Ruiz, who is married to Acosta’s sister, told the Express-News. “I never thought he’d hurt someone else — especially not Ronnie.  He just completely snapped.”

The elder Ruiz said his son set out from California to San Antonio on Sunday. Acosta invited him to stay at his home.

Citing an affidavit, local ABC affiliate KSAT reported there was some sort of altercation that led to the stabbing early Tuesday morning. Acosta’s housekeeper reportedly witnessed the stabbing and called 911. There was “blood all around him,” the housekeeper reportedly told cops. David Ruiz allegedly stabbed his uncle multiple times, and Acosta “bled out while lying in the garage,” according to police.

More from Law&Crime: ‘I told him I had a surprise for him and that was the surprise’: Killer who lured 74-year-old lover out into woods and shot him in the back of the head receives fate

The suspect fled the scene but was later arrested some 100 miles away in Junction. According to the Kimble County Sheriff’s Office, San Antonio cops alerted them of Ruiz driving west on Interstate 10. Deputies spotted the suspect vehicle near a truck stop and conducted a traffic stop, after which they took Ruiz into custody without incident.

James Ruiz told the Express-News that when he learned that his son had allegedly killed Acosta, he texted him and urged him to turn himself into police. His son reportedly asked why.

“David, you killed Ronnie,” James Ruiz reportedly texted.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Mothers Call for Halt on Enforcement of Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order

President Donald Trump addresses a joint press conference with Elon Musk in…

‘Arson Attack and Protest in Melbourne Condemned by Jewish Leaders as ‘Appalling Crimes”

Leaders of the Jewish community have called for action after separate attacks…

Gainesville Resident Accused of Assaulting 14-Year-Old Runaway

Staff report GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 26-year-old named McNish Mathis Tuzon Hampton…

Georgia Woman Faces DUI Charges After Husband Falls from Golf Cart and Dies

A woman from Georgia has been charged with driving under the influence…

Elderly Florida Woman, 80, Accused of Slapping Fellow Driver

Inset: Linda Frenier (Orange County Jail). Background: A Walmart in Apopka, Fla.…

Deputies Report Woman Accused of Killing Roommate and Attempting to Poison Neighbors

Context: Kore Bommeli Adams in a court appearance in Dane County, Wisconsin…

Prisoner Accused of Fatally Shooting Guard with Guard’s Gun at Clinic

Left: Kelvin Simmons (Buncombe County Sheriff”s Office) Right: Francisco Flattes (Cherokee County…

Intoxicated Driver in Michigan Hits Family Departing Festival, Resulting in the Death of a 3-Year-Old and Injuries to Twin Sister: Police Report

A woman from Michigan, who was driving on a suspended license, reportedly…

Mother Sentenced to 20 Years for Mistreating Her Toddlers

Samantha Woods (Jackson County Sheriff”s Office). An Alabama woman will spend just…

Tragic Hit-and-Run at Fireworks Show Claims Life of 3-Year-Old Boy

Background: The location of the accident at Lyndon Street and Merriman Road…

Philadelphia Bar Shooting: 2 Critically Injured, 6 Others Hurt

Eight people were injured during a mass shooting at a bar in…

Trump’s Attempt to Cut Science Research Funding Fails

President Donald Trump participates in a meeting with the Fraternal Order of…