The man suspected of fatally stabbing a 21-year-old Anthony man who was walking home after his shift at a fast-food restaurant earlier this year reportedly turned himself in on Tuesday.
With the assistance of the U.S. Marshals, Mario Soto, 20, was arrested on charges of first-degree murder.
Soto has been at the center of an investigation by the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office since the death of Gilberto Wences, who was found stabbed to death in the 1200 block of Church Street in Anthony on April 19, 2014.
According to investigators, Wences had reportedly clocked out at 10:58 p.m. after finishing his shift at McDonald’s and was walking though the alley on Church Street on his way home. It was there that Soto and a group of men in a 1997 Ford pickup truck reportedly approached Wences.
Witnesses who were with Soto that night told investigators they had information that Wences had previously threatened to fight one of the men in the truck. The driver of the truck allegedly drove up next to Wences and asked if he was the one who wanted to fight him.
According to witnesses in the truck, Wences said no and began to run. The driver parked the vehicle and all the men who were inside the truck got out and chased after Wences.
Another witness in the truck told investigators Soto jumped on top of Wences and began to fight with him.
Witnesses at a nearby gathering told investigators they could hear screams coming from the alleyway at approximately 11:30 p.m.
Sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene shortly before midnight. Upon arrival, they discovered Wences’s body with several stab wounds to his torso and upper left thigh. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Soto was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals on Tuesday. He is currently awaiting extradition to Doña Ana County.
Information from Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office