Austin police: Disagreements between groups of people led to June double homicide

A disagreement between a group of people, possibly due to jealousy from a romantic interest, led to a man shooting and killing two people and injuring another near a homeless camp in Southeast Austin in June, according to an arrest affidavit.

However, the document charging Hector Olvera with capital murder in the shooting deaths of Ricardo Martinez, 39, and Aldo Edgar Romero-Milan, 29, does not offer a clear reason as to how all of the parties were connected and what specifically led to the shootings.

Carlos Amaya, a bystander and friend to one of the slain men, told police he visited the area near 2317 South Pleasant Valley Road to pick up Martinez and planned to visit a store together. Martinez lived nearby in a homeless encampment, the affidavit said.

While picking up Martinez, the charging document said, Amaya said he noticed Romero-Milan looking through a container in the cul-de-sac. At that time, another man came out of the encampment and put a machete blade to Romero-Milan's neck.

During this altercation, Olvera came out of the woods where the encampment was located, pulled out a gun, aimed it at Amaya and fired at him but missed, according to the charging document.

Olvera then went to the passenger side of Amaya's car, where he shot and killed Martinez, the affidavit states. Olvera then fired a shot that killed Romero-Milan.

The man with the machete began to run away, and Olvera chased after him and then shot and injured him, the document said. The man, who has not been charged in the incident, later told police he believed he was the target, as Olvera had "romantic feelings" for his girlfriend.

Both the man and Amaya told police that Olvera shot and killed Martinez and Romero-Milan.

In an interview with police, the girlfriend said Olvera had been at the campsite five minutes before the shooting. She also told police she believed Amaya, Martinez and Romero-Milan were there to kill her boyfriend, according to the charging document.

A reason was not given in the affidavit as to why she believed this, but police noted that she stayed in her tent the night of the shooting because of an "aggressive conversation." Details of this conversation were not listed in the affidavit.

"There are a lot of unanswered questions the (probable cause) affidavit seems to leave out," said Olvera's lawyer, Brian Erskine. "I’m looking forward to working with Mr. Olvera, and am hopeful the truth is revealed after a thorough investigation."

Olvera is in the Travis County Jail and faces seven other charges, most unrelated to this case. He was arrested on Sunday for the unauthorized use of a vehicle and evading arrest.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Affidavit: Disagreements between groups led to June double homicide