Jury finds man guilty in fisherman murder

A Cameron County jury has found Jose Miguel Vasquez Jr., 41, guilty in the May 2006 stabbing death of Port Isabel fisherman George Garza.

The jury deliberated for about three hours before reaching a decision shortly after 3 p.m. this afternoon.

Authorities said Vasquez stabbed Garza 33 times on the night of May 16, 2006 at Oliveira Park on El Paso Road.

It's believed Vasquez and another man lured Garza to the park under the pretense of a business deal involving the sell of marijuana.

Gabriela Garcia, special prosecutor for the Cameron County District Attorney's office, said Vasquez stabbed Garza 33 times and "left DNA on the murder weapon."

Vasquez's saliva was found on the knife.

The knife actually belonged to Garza and was found about a day later in a vehicle in which Vasquez was riding, Garcia said.

"He was keeping the knife as a trophy. (He told another person) I killed him with his own knife," Garcia said during this morning's closing arguments.

Defense attorney Larry Warner said there are too many things in the case that "are unclear" and the witnesses in the case are not credible because they themselves are in the prison system.

"The witnesses were all brought in prison uniforms," Warner said describing them as a prostitute, crack addict and drug dealer.

"We know that somebody died. It's sad somebody got killed, but it's tragic to convict somebody if they hadn't fully convinced you," Warner said.