Court appoints attorneys for three women charged in Del Rio stabbing death

A Val Verde County judge appointed court lawyers for Amaya Cookie Diaz, Kitty Mia Diaz and Kyandra Renee Faz, the three women charged in the stabbing death of Caroline Raquel Pena in Del Rio. The appointments by 63rd Judicial District Judge Roland Andrade on June 26 came after the defendants asked for court-appointed counsel during their magistrate appearance before Justice of the Peace Jesse James Trevino, who also set bond.

The move marks the start of the case’s pretrial phase in the Val Verde County court system. All three women face murder charges, which are first-degree felonies, and Faz also faces tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony. The bonds total $15 million, or $5 million for each defendant, keeping the case among the most closely watched violent-crime prosecutions in the county this summer.

Del Rio police said officers first responded about 2:10 p.m. on June 25 after a woman arrived at Val Verde Regional Medical Center with multiple stab wounds. Investigators later said the assault happened in the 800 block of East 10th Street, and all three defendants were arrested later that day. Police said Kitty Mia Diaz and Amaya Cookie Diaz were taken into custody around 4 p.m., with Faz arrested shortly afterward at 322 W. Strickland St., where investigators say the stabbing occurred.

Pena was flown to San Antonio for emergency treatment and was pronounced dead about 9 p.m. the same night. Court records later corrected her name from Carolina Pena to Caroline Raquel Pena. Investigators said surveillance video captured the entire incident, along with witness interviews and other evidence, making that footage a central piece of what comes next in court.

For Del Rio residents, the next hearings are likely to focus on how the charges move forward, how defense attorneys challenge the state’s evidence and what portions of the case become public as the court process advances. Because murder cases move through filings, evidence review and later trial scheduling, key footage and witness accounts are not likely to be argued in open court immediately.

Del Rio Police Chief Frank Ramirez said violent crime of this kind is unusual in the border community. The case has drawn added attention because Pena was a mother of five and a twin, with a family fundraiser saying two of her children have autism. Friends and relatives have remembered her as a devoted mother and loyal friend while detectives continue to review evidence and consider additional charges.