Roma mother killed hours after college graduation

RIO GRANDE CITY -- Sorangela Garcia Rios died just as she was ready to embark on the next phase of her life.

Hours after graduating from the University of Texas-Pan American on Saturday, the 23-year-old mother of two was fatally shot at a family gathering in Ciudad Miguel Alemán, Tamps.

As her friends, classmates and family members gathered in Rio Grande City to bury the Roma resident Tuesday, they remembered a conscientious student and devoted wife who hoped to start teaching in Rio Grande City schools next year.

"It was rough," said UTPA lecturer Julia Pecina of the funeral. "Her mom kept calling out to her and pleading with her not to go away."

Her killer, meanwhile, sat in a Mexican jail.

Investigators believe Javier Leonardo Garza Sanchez, 34, fired the shot that killed Garcia during an argument he was having with her husband, Jose Luis.

"He said he shot at them just to scare them," Miguel Alemán District Attorney Juan Antonio Jara Benavides said in Spanish. "But, obviously we know (the result)."

Garcia headed to Miguel Alemán after Saturday's graduation ceremony to celebrate Mother's Day with her family. Unlike in the United States, the holiday is celebrated every May 10 in Mexico.

As the night dragged on, an argument broke out between Garcia's husband and Garza, who was dating the husband's sister.

Jose Luis Garcia hit Garza, pushing him to the ground before Sorangela arrived to break up the fight, Mexican authorities said.

She grabbed her husband and pulled him away. As they prepared to leave, Garza rolled over, pulled out a revolver and fired.

The bullet hit Sorangela in the lower back. She died at a nearby hospital at 2:30 a.m.

Classmates and teachers were stunned by the news Monday, said Pecina, an adviser to the Student Council for Exceptional Children, which Sorangela joined two years ago to help special education children in area schools.

"I watched her walk across the stage at graduation," she said. "It was just shocking to hear she died hours later."

Her family members could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Garza remained incarcerated in Mexico, charged with intentional homicide.

He could face anywhere from 12 to 20 years in a Mexican prison if found guilty of the crime.