A San Antonio man is jailed after a fight over hair clippers on the West Side led to the fatal stabbing of 38-year-old Christopher Renteria.
Investigators say a dispute on Montezuma Street in January led to a chase and stabbing that left Renteria critically injured. After his death months later, 34-year-old Robert Adrian Aparicio was arrested and booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center with a bond set at $350,000, according to court records.
What police say happened
Officers responded to the 1900 block of Montezuma Street around 10 p.m. on Jan. 12, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KSAT. They found Renteria lying in the street with multiple stab wounds.
According to the affidavit, Renteria was conscious long enough to tell officers that a man named "Robert" had stabbed him before going into cardiac arrest and suffering a severe brain injury. Two witnesses confirmed the fight began over hair clippers.
Video, witnesses and a license plate
Surveillance video showed Renteria fall as the suspect continued stabbing him before fleeing in a red pickup, KENS5 reported.
In one clip, a bystander reads most of the truck’s license plate aloud, which investigators used to track the vehicle. Witnesses later identified the suspect as "Rob" or "Robert," according to the affidavit.
How detectives traced the truck
Detectives found a photo of a red Ford Ranger at a San Antonio-area apartment on Nov. 20, showing a man loading tree limbs into the truck, KSAT reported. Apartment employees told police they had hired him through Craigslist and provided a phone number, which investigators linked to Aparicio. The next day, witnesses identified Aparicio in a lineup, according to court documents.
Charges upgraded after victim's death
Aparicio was booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center this week and is now facing a murder charge after Renteria died months after the January attack, court records show, according to KENS5.
Officials say Aparicio was originally arrested on an aggravated assault charge. That charge was upgraded to murder after the medical examiner ruled Renteria’s death a homicide. Jail and court records list his bond at $350,000.
What’s next
Crime Stoppers and San Antonio police had earlier asked the public for tips in the days after the January stabbing, and investigators now say the read-out license plate and the Craigslist yard-work lead were crucial in making an identification, according to prior reporting from the Express-News.
The Bexar County District Attorney’s Office will review the case as it moves toward arraignment, and prosecutors have not yet said whether they will seek any enhanced penalties. Authorities are still urging anyone with additional information to contact San Antonio police or Crime Stoppers.
