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Jose Menchaca was 35 years old when 31-year-old Gabriel Moreno and two other people allegedly murdered him in October 2014 in Houston, Texas. Police believed that the three accused killed Jose over a personal conflict that arose after a drug deal gone wrong. Jose was brutally beaten before being suffocated and dismembered. Jose's body was found in his cousin Candie Dominguez's barbecue grill and garage.
While the police arrested Gabriel Moreno, Candie Dominguez, and her boyfriend, Daniel Lopez, Moreno insisted that he was innocent. In 2018, Lopez was convicted of Jose's death and sentenced to life in prison. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Candie, took a plea deal, after pleading guilty.
Moreno, on the other hand, faced two trials for his involvement in the murder and was found not guilty in the second trial. However, in 2019, he was charged with assaulting his fiancé Maricela Leija and was sentenced to serve 20 years in a Texas prison. He faced multiple charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, theft of a firearm, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
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According to The Cinemaholic, Gabriel Moreno is serving time at the John M. Wynne Unit in Huntsville, Texas for the possession of a deadly weapon. He is expected to be released from prison in December 2038.
Gabriel Moreno and Jose Manchaco's case will be featured in season 6 episode 1 of Netflix's I Am A Killer, titled A Mother's Choice. The episode was released on the streaming platform on January 8, 2025.
Itamar Klasmer has directed Netflix's I Am A Killer while Danny Tipping and Ned Parker have produced it. It features real-life accounts of murderers, unearthing the motives and consequences of their crimes.
Who is Gabriel Moreno and what happened to him?
Gabriel Moreno of San Antonio was charged with the 2014 murder of Jose Menchaca. According to reports, Menchaca's dismembered body was found inside his cousin Candie Dominguez's, garage and barbecue grill. Law enforcement officials brought three suspects, including Dominguez, Daniel Lopez, and Moreno into custody. Gabriel Moreno, who was allegedly an affiliate of the Texas Mexican Mafia pleaded not guilty but admitted to having been present at the scene of the crime.
Gabriel Moreno was put on trial for his alleged role in the murder in 2018. However, his first trial ended in a hung jury and his retrial was scheduled in December 2018, where he was found not guilty for his involvement in the crime.
While he was acquitted in the murder trial, he was kept in police custody until his trial and subsequent retrial. In May 2018, while serving time, prison authorities found Gabriel in possession of a homemade weapon and a contraband cell phone, resulting in further charges.
In June 2019, he was arrested for allegedly assaulting his fiancée, Maricela Leija, and threatening her with a firearm. He then faced multiple charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and felon in possession of a firearm. Moreno is currently serving a 20-year sentence in a Texas prison for possession of a deadly weapon in a penal institution.
Story Behind the Murder Jose Menchaca
Jose Menchaca was killed in San Antonio, Texas in October 2014, before his body was dismembered and found in his cousin Candie's barbecue grill. Apart from Candie, the police identified two other people who could have been the murderers - Candie's boyfriend, Daniel Lopez, and Gabriel Moreno.
The authorities believed a personal feud between Menchaca and Lopez sparked brutal beating and eventual murder. Candie and Gabriel were allegedly accomplices in the murder.
However, Gabriel Moreno, an associate of the Texas Mexican Mafia, claimed that he didn't kill Menchaca but had seen how he was killed. The prosecutors argued that Lopez and Moreno actively engaged in chopping and hiding Menchaca's body.
Moreno's 2018 trial ended in a hung jury and was declared a mistrial. The authorities conducted a retrial in December 2018 where Gabriel was acquitted. This was because the police didn't have enough evidence to prove his
Dominguez and Lopez were also brought before the court for their part in this crime.
Watch I Am a Killer season 6 streaming on Netflix.
