Police identify victim, affidavit reveals events leading up to fatal north Austin stabbing

A Travis County affidavit provided additional details surrounding a fatal stabbing and shooting involving officers that occurred Sunday.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Travis County affidavit provided additional details surrounding a fatal stabbing and shooting involving officers that occurred Sunday.

The suspect and those he was accused of stabbing all lived together and were at a birthday party in the hours leading up to the stabbing, according to the affidavit.

The document said 26-year-old Jose Reynaldo Martinez-Argueta was charged with murder in connection with the incident. Two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon were also added, according to Travis County jail records.

According to the affidavit, shortly after 12:30 a.m., a 911 caller reported being stabbed in the stomach at a home near the 12300 block of Uttimer Lane. The caller reported the suspect, later identified as Martinez-Argueta, was still inside with other possible victims.

Austin Police officers arrived a few minutes later and forced their way inside after hearing a disturbance, according to court documents. The officers then encountered the suspect and fired their weapons. The identity of the officers has not yet been released.

The affidavit said Austin-Travis County EMS provided life-saving measures to multiple victims for stab wounds and other injuries, as well as the suspect for several gunshot wounds.

A man and woman were taken to the hospital with critical injuries. Another woman, later identified by police as 30-year-old Maryuri Leticia Reconco-Moncada, was pronounced dead at the scene.

What happened at the party, and afterward

During an interview, the man told police Martinez-Argueta, Reconco-Moncada and their baby were renting a room at his and his wife's home. They were all at a party there that night when the suspect grabbed a phone out of Reconco-Moncada's hand, "infuriated" because another man had offered to let her use it instead of her own to take pictures, according to the affidavit.

The outburst "basically ended the party," the affidavit said, and people headed home.

According to court documents, as he was getting ready for bed, the man who owned the home said he heard yelling and heard Reconco-Moncada say, “He wants to kill me with a knife!” The man went to check on the two, which was when he said the suspect stabbed him with a knife. He ran outside, where people from the party were lingering and called 911.

Meanwhile, his wife heard the commotion and told police she hid in a closet with her children. She told police she heard the suspect stabbing and attacking Reconco-Moncada while insulting her, the affidavit said.

The affidavit said the woman then heard the suspect standing outside the door before he told her to open it, saying, “I’m not going to kill you. I know the police are outside.”

According to court documents, the woman then opened the door, and Martinez-Argueta told her, “You’re going to be my hostages.” He then sent the children upstairs.

The woman told police Martinez-Argueta then told her he was going to sexually assault her but ended up stabbing her as well. According to the affidavit, the woman said while she was fighting back and attempting to get the knife, Martinez-Argueta threatened to kill her.

Police interviewed another woman who lived there and witnessed the incident, and she said the evening before, Martinez-Argueta accused Reconco-Moncada of cheating. She also told police she saw him stabbing the victim.

As of Thursday, Martinez-Argueta remained booked in the Travis County jail and was held on bonds totaling more than $3 million.