A Rio Grande Valley, Texas, veteran who was beaten severely by a Honduras national died on February 24. Authorities are expected to upgrade the charges to capital murder.

KRGV reports that on January 30 at 12:29 a.m., Andres Roberto Ortiz beat Jose Luis Oviedo so severely that he ended up in the hospital fighting for his life. Ortiz then stole the victim’s car and crashed it into a canal off of Frontage Road in Rio Grande. Around 10 days later, authorities connected Oviedo to the crime.

Oviedo passed away after lying in a coma for a little over a month. Oviedo’s family decided to take him off of life support after he showed no progress.

He did a tour in Operation Desert Storm and served in the U.S. Navy for 15 years. He’s survived by a son, Victor Oviedo.

Victor Oviedo, who was close to father, said that he’s glad the suspect was apprehended. He added that he had no opinion on immigration before, but after his father was killed, he now supports immigrants taking the proper steps to gain U.S. citizenship.

“I had no real opinion as far as the immigration stance goes, but now I believe that something like this could have been prevented had the right steps been taken.”

McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez confirmed that the charges against Ortiz will be upgraded to capital murder, meaning he could face the death penalty. He’s also charged with aggravated robbery. McAllen Police Department indicated that Ortiz was wanted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and federal authorities for an unrelated charge.

[Feature Photo: McAllen PD]