Stabbing Victim's Death May Have Been Retaliation For Past Threats, Attacks: Austin Police

SOUTH AUSTIN, TX — A fatal attack on a South Austin man Sunday night may have been in retaliation for threats the victim is alleged to have made against a woman and her family just days before his death, according a published report.

Referencing an affidavit on the case, the Austin American-Statesman said Fabian Michael Gutierrez, 23, is said to have made threats against a woman, her family and children shortly before his death. The details were laid out in an arrest affidavit filed Thursday.

Gutierrez was found mortally wounded at an apartment complex along the 500 block of East Stassney Lane around 9:30 p.m. last Sunday night (Oct. 8), as police previously said in a press advisory. Witnesses told police two men chased the victim in a truck throughout the complex before exiting the vehicle and attacking him.

The two men fled after the attack. Gutierrez was rushed to St. David's South Austin Medical Center but died of his wounds shortly after his arrival. A resulting autopsy ruled his death as homicide caused by sharp force injuries.

Related stories:

Police Investigate South Austin Homicide

Police ID Man Stabbed To Death In South Austin

Ricardo Santos, 34, has been identified as one of the suspects, but the second man is yet unidentified, according to the affidavit. Santos faces a murder charge, although he has not been booked into the Travis County Jail as of Thursday, according to jail records.

According to the affidavit, both Gutierrez and Santos were involved with a woman who had children with the latter man, according to the report. The woman had called police on several occasions between late September and early October to report that Gutierrez had assaulted her, the affidavit details. On another occasion, the woman said Gutierrez had assaulted her mother while threatening her and the children she had with Santos, according to the report.

Santos initially denied being involved in Gutierrez's death, but witnesses told police otherwise. If convicted on the murder charge, he faces up to 99 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

>>>Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

Image via Shutterstock