EDINBURG — A pretty teenage girl strangled by her brother-in-law, a drama teacher stabbed to death in his home and an innocent bystander stabbed to death by gang members on a rampage, all killed this month in a string of homicides linked only by their brutality.

In all, eight lives have been taken by another person so far this July, making it the deadliest month this year.

The violence reached a frightening crescendo this weekend.

Early Friday morning, six suspected members of the Texas Chicano Brotherhood terrorized patrons at the Sheboygan Club in Lopezville breaking bottles, slashing tires in the parking lot and screaming that they were looking for members of the rival Loco Treces gang.

One of them stabbed and killed 48-year-old Julio Garcia in the parking lot of the dingy, topless bar after the man accosted the gang for slashing his tires, investigators said.

After rounding up known gang members in the neighborhood, sheriff's deputies were able to get one of the gang members to give an eyewitness account of the killing, Treviño said.

That lead them to 18-year-old Gabriel Sepulveda Jr. Authorities then arrested the 18-year-old Sepulveda at the Rex Motel on Saturday morning, raiding the hotel in Edinburg while he was in bed with his girlfriend.

"We used the SWAT team on him," Treviño said. "He didn't have a prayer in the world."

But as they raided the motel, they received a call about the lifeless body of a 16-year-old boy found shot to death near a Dumpster north of Weslaco.

Hours later, those same deputies arrived at a house near Alamo where they allege Cesar Trejo, 33, shot and killed his wife instead of taking their children to the movies as planned.

"This has been an extremely deadly weekend for us," Treviño said. "Our homicide team has been on the go for at least 48 straight hours."

The weekend capped an already deadly July.

Early last week, Said Vargas told authorities he accidentally killed his sister-in-law, 18-year-old Yuliana Reyes, during an argument the two had at the family's Edinburg home. While he was arraigned on her murder, police don't necessarily believe his story and continue to investigate.

Sheriff's deputies, meanwhile, continue to search for Damasio Almaguer, 26, who they suspect shot and killed Oscar Mercado, 38. Almaguer allegedly killed Mercado about 2 a.m. July 5 during an argument that broke out after Mercado accosted his sisters for frequenting a bar that Sheriff Treviño described as a hole in the wall.

Weslaco police also continue to search for another fugitive wanted in connection with the stabbing death of a Mercedes teacher. Authorities suspect Eduardo Cruz, 59, was killed by his gardener, Javier "El Gordo" Fernandez during a robbery attempt at the teacher's home in Weslaco.

For Carlos DeLeon Jr., Saturday's carnage meant a busy day. Rivera Funeral Home in McAllen, where DeLeon works as a provisional funeral director, contracts with the county to pick up bodies destined for autopsies. He picked up seven bodies Saturday, more than he's ever seen in his 16 years transporting corpses.

"It's been a weird day today," DeLeon said. "I just feel for all the people who died."

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Sean Gaffney covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4434.

Monitor staff writer Dave Hendricks contributed to this story.

July 4

Damasio Almaguer, 26, allegedly shot and killed Oscar Mercado, 38, after an argument at the Los Galleros bar north of Alton.

Eleazar Zuniga Camacho, 18, is suspected of accidentally shooting and killing his half-brother, Erasmo Zuniga Treviño, 29, while handing him a loaded firearm.

July 8

Yuliana Reyes, 18, was strangled and her body stripped and left in a canal. Her brother-in-law, Said Vargas later admitted to authorities that he killed the girl after an argument.

July 11

A relative finds Leonel Cazares III shot to death at his ranch near Falcon Heights. Police arrested a juvenile in connection with the murder.

July 15

A relative finds Eduardo Cruz, 59, stabbed to death in his Weslaco home.

July 18

Gabriel Sepulveda Jr., 18, allegedly stabbed and killed Julio Garcia, 48, outside a Lopezville bar.

July 19

Employees at a store north of Weslaco found a 16-year-old boy's body near the store's Dumpster.

Cesar Trejo, 33, allegedly shot and killed his wife, Mariana Tijerina outside their home north of Alamo.