EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Hidalgo man was sentenced to state jail in connection to a deadly 2020 stabbing.
Cornelio Mata Jr. was sentenced Wednesday to 33 years in state jail after pleading guilty to a charge of capital murder by terror threat/other felony, according to Hidalgo County records.
An indictment charged Mata with fatally stabbing Yadiel Miguel Morales Valveija while attempting to rob him.
On June 3, 2020, officers responded to the 1200 block of E. Canton Road where Morales Valveija died from his wounds, according to previous ValleyCentral reports.
On June 5, the Edinburg Police Department held a press conference where they described the incident as a drug exchange gone bad. There was a struggle over weapons and Morales was stabbed.
Two other men were shot during the incident.
Along with Mata, police also arrested Jeffrey Vargas Estremera and Stephen Santos. Estremera was arrested on two counts of attempted murder. Santos was arrested on one count of capital murder.
Mata was arrested on one count of capital murder and his bond was set at $1,000,000.
As part of his sentencing, Mata was given a jail credit of 949 days, records show.
