September 02, 2010 1:25 PM
By LINDSAY MACHAK/The Monitor
RIO GRANDE CITY — Investigators continue to piece together what unfolded Tuesday on the 1700 block of Main Street, where three women were fatally shot.
Francisco Pinal, 51, went on a shooting spree late that afternoon, killing his estranged wife, her mother and another woman, before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide, police stated.
Pinal’s wife, Lydia Pinal, filed for a divorce from him in June, according to court documents. That divorce petition was still pending at that time of her death. Court records indicate her husband had filed a counter-petition.
According to her family, Francisco Pinal was obsessed with his estranged wife and stalked her.
Her mother, Rosa Alaniz, 77, had come to town to be with her daughter out of fear of leaving her alone.
Lydia Pinal worked as a home caregiver in Rio Grande City at the residence where she was gunned down, and Rosa Alaniz had accompanied her to the client’s home.
The client, who police have not publicly named, was physically unharmed.
However, her sister, Mary Lou Sanders, was fatally shot during the rampage, said Assistant Police Chief Noe Castillo.
“He was determined to do what he was going to do,” Castillo said. “And he did it.”
Investigators continue to look into the case, even though they don’t plan to pursue charges against anyone. Castillo said a full-blown probe is under way, just in case there are any related incidents.
“We don’t have anybody to charge,” he said. “But we still have to do a full investigation just in case something else comes up or we missed something.”
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