Mother seeks answers after son's death

HARLINGEN — Maria Del Socorro Gallegos has little faith in the Harlingen Police Department’s investigation into the death of her 17-year-old son.

A police report states that Reynaldo Gonzalez died after he was run over by a drunken driver on July 18.

“No,” Gallegos said of the police investigation, “No, I don’t think they’ll do anything.”

Tessa Jasper Estrada, 25, admitted to police that she ran over Gonzalez with her 2006 Kia Spectra after driving home from a night of drinking at Butt Wild’s Sports Bar, an arrest affidavit states.

Although officers found Gonzalez lying dead in the middle of the 2500 block of Spur 54 that morning, police charged Estrada with driving while intoxicated, saying it was unclear what caused Gonzalez’s death.

Gallegos has hired local private investigator and retired Harlingen police lieutenant Joe Rubio to look into the case. Rubio submitted a letter to City Manger Gabriel Gonzalez’s office earlier this week alleging favoritism and impropriety during the course of the investigation into the teenager’s death.

Court records show that Estrada told police that she had stopped her car to check on Gonzalez after running over him. According to those records, Estrada told officers she called police after she found Gonzalez alive and gasping for air in the middle of the street.

Estrada’s arrest report states that Gonzalez was dead once police arrived.

The Harlingen jail log from the day of Estrada’s arrest lists that she was being held on an “intoxicated assault” charge. The following day, Estrada was still in the jail log, but only under a DWI charge.

Attempts to reach Estrada Thursday were unsuccessful.

In his letter, Rubio alleges that Estrada is related to a Harlingen police captain and that charges against her could have been reduced because of that relationship.

Harlingen Police Chief Daniel Castillo responded to that accusation Thursday saying, “(Joe) has no evidence of that. That’s an insinuation and that’s an unfair judgment.”

Castillo said police are still looking into the case and will submit any findings to the district attorney’s office to determine whether Estrada should face more charges. “The investigation is not complete yet,” he said. “When it is, we will be conferring with the DA’s office and taking the proper course of action.”

Harlingen Police Capt. Hector Leal said he has spoken to Rubio several times since the start of the investigation into Reynaldo Gonzalez’s death, and added, “He’s a private investigator and he’s doing his own thing out there.”

Leal said Estrada could be charged with intoxication manslaughter, a second-degree felony, if the investigation shows she was responsible for Gonzalez’s death.

Castillo added, “The charge that we have for (Estrada) right now is DWI, but there’s nothing off the table right now.”

Neither Castillo nor Leal would explain what else could have caused Gonzalez’s death.