Crime, a family business: Father pleads guilty to cold-case murder, son awaits trial
It seems crime can sometimes be a family business. Jose Angel Morales recently pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in connection to a cold case dating back to 2005. His son, Jose Angel Morales Jr., is currently incarcerated in the Taylor County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault, in connection with the 2023 drive-by shooting of a 12-year-old girl in north Abilene.
Reporter-News received certified court documents that prove the familial link. In a petition to establish the parent-child relationship of other children in the household, dating back to 2018, it was recorded that the parentage of Jose Angel Morales Jr. "was established" in the petition, and that "the father of the children is Jose Angel Morales, a resident of Texas."
Following in his father's footsteps
On November 2, 2023, Aleena Alvarez was at her aunt's house for a sleepover. She heard a loud pop and fell to the floor. She was transferred to a children's hospital and will forever have a bullet lodged in her spine, along with permanent deficits to the left side of her body.
Following the drive-by shooting, the Abilene Police Department (APD) apprehended five suspects after an extended search. APD arrested Jose Angel Morales Jr., Kacey Broughton, Nicholas Baker, Elmer Rodriguez Jr., and an unnamed juvenile minor. The five suspects allegedly shot the 12-year-old girl in a drive-by shooting, according to court documents.
They did so allegedly in revenge for a recent pistol-whipping of Morales Jr., however, the alleged assailant who had lived at Alvarez's aunt's house had already moved. All five suspects have been charged with second-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and they remain incarcerated while awaiting trial.
If convicted, each of the suspects could face 2-20 years in prison, according to Assistant District Attorney Dan Joiner. It seems Morales Jr. could soon be joining his father in the state penitentiary.
Crime: A family business
Jose Angel Morales pleaded guilty to murder Wednesday, January 24, in connection with a nearly 18-year-old cold case murder. The victim was Bobby Beck and Morales remained free for years before finally facing the music.
The Abilene Police Department originally responded to a call from 1965 North 5th Street on April 9, 2005. The victim, Bobby Beck, had "been stabbed in the chest, shoulders, and back," according to court documents. He was then transported to the hospital "where he succumbed to his injuries."
When detectives interviewed seven witnesses, several of them indicated that there had been "two Hispanic male subjects" who had been in a physical altercation with Beck. Two witnesses even described one of the men as "making an upward stabbing motion to Beck's chest area."
Both suspects had reportedly fled before police arrived on scene, as Beck retreated to a nearby residence where he told the witnesses that "he had been stabbed."
Detectives searched the area for evidence and found "blood, socket extension, bandana, and knives." At the time, DNA was found from two separate suspects and uploaded to CODIS, but "did not reveal any further leads."
In 2022, CODIS came back with a hit and led to the arrest of one subject, Marco Ramos. Ramos will have a jury trial later this year on May 13, and is currently out on a $200,000 bond.
Knowing that there had been two suspects, however, the police department sent evidence items back to the Department of Public Safety crime lab in Lubbock.
This time, a hit came back with a single source of DNA from the knife: Jose Angel Morales. Detective Jeff Cowan of the cold case division then "crafted a search warrant" for Morales' DNA from a mouth swab, according to court documents. When Cowan was executing the warrant, Morales "provided details of this murder known only by an individual involved."
Morales had named the other suspect, the getaway vehicle, and revealed "information regarding a bandana being used in the murder." Morales reportedly told Cowan, "He knew this day was coming," meaning that his involvement in the murder would come to light.
Calmly sentenced to 20 years
It was a cut-and-dry plea hearing on January 24.
Morales stood calmly with tattoos covering his arms and a small tattoo on his cheek. Judge James Eidson of the 42nd District Court wore his glasses low on his nose as he looked down upon Morales with a serious look on his face.
The judge slowly explained the murder charge and subsequent 20-year plea bargain. As Judge Eidson said, "are you pleading guilty because you are in fact guilty?" Morales simply responded, "I am, sir," finally taking responsibility for the murder that occurred nearly 20 years ago.
In a surprising twist, just as Judge Eidson was about to officially sentence Morales, his defense attorney interrupted the judge to announce that Morales had been sentenced on July 27, 2023, to 12 years in prison in Tom Green County, in connection with unrelated drug charges. There was a surprised look on Assistant District Attorney Erin Stamey's face, who apparently had not yet heard of these charges.
In a twist of fate, Morales will now serve both sentences concurrently, at 20 years behind bars.
His son could soon join him if Morales Jr. pleads guilty at his plea hearing on February 29, 2024. Abilene Reporter News will be following this case closely.
All suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Crime in the family: Father pleads guilty to murder, son awaits trial
