One month after disappearance, husband, stepson face murder charges
EDINBURG - A month after a Mission woman went missing, her husband and stepson face murder charges for her death.
Pedro Lugo, 75, and his son, Javier, are set to be arraigned Tuesday in Hidalgo County district court for the murder of Josefina Lugo. Javier Lugo, her stepson, also faces two counts of tampering with evidence in the case.
A grand jury indicted the duo on Thursday for stabbing Josefina to death with a knife or another sharp object on or about Aug. 24.
The grand jury also said that Javier Lugo, 45, knowingly tried to alter, hide or destroy his stepmother's blood - impairing the subsequent police investigation.
Hidalgo County District Attorney Rene Guerra said the additional charges against Javier Lugo came from suspicion that he has hidden Josefina's body.
Josefina, 68, has not been seen or heard from since she went missing Aug. 23.
Less than a week after her disappearance, police said Pedro Lugo had withdrawn a large sum of money and boarded a bus destined for San Luis Potosí, S.L.P., Mexico. Before he left, he gave his son power of attorney over his estate.
Pedro Lugo later returned to the Rio Grande Valley, and was detained Thursday at the Hidalgo County Jail with his son.
Pedro Lugo also received probation for assault causing bodily injury charges in 2001.
He and Josefina filed for divorce in July.
Mission police investigators' search for Josefina led them Willacy County, said Lt. Martin Garza, a Mission police spokesman.
Meanwhile, an unidentified woman's arm was discovered in a rural Willacy County canal on Aug. 26.
Investigators have sent DNA samples from Josefina and the unidentified arm for testing, Garza said. Police expect the results from that test later this week.
Javier and Pedro Lugo's attorney, Ricardo Salinas of Mission, could not be reached for comment Monday.
Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.
