The founder of the popular Mexican restaurant chain Las Palapas was allegedly killed by his nephew, who was suffering from paranoid hallucinations and traveled from California to Texas to commit the gruesome murder.
Edward “Ron” Acosta, 78, was found stabbed to death inside his mansion in a gated community in San Antonio on Tuesday after he was allegedly killed by his nephew, David Ruiz, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
Ruiz, 39, had left his home in southern California on Sunday, telling his family that he was heading to San Antonio to visit his cousin and the Tex-Mex restaurant chain’s founder’s son, Aaron Acosta, and to see his brother in Austin.
However, he was armed with a pistol and amid a severe mental breakdown when he left for the Lone Star State, his father, James Ruiz, told the outlet.
“I thought I was going to lose him to suicide,” his father said. “I never thought he’d hurt someone else — especially not Ronnie. He just completely snapped.”
Before heading to Texas, James said his son had been showing signs of every “mental disorder that you could imagine,” hadn’t slept for four days, was suffering from hallucinations, and was extremely paranoid — making bizarre claims that his father was dead and others were out to kill him.
When the accused killer left for San Antonio, James said he called Aaron Acosta to warn him that he thinks his son was “capable of something pretty serious,” due to his mental state and being armed.
“I was fearful that, based on my son’s behavior, he was going to take his own life. And how he ended up going to my brother-in-law, whom he had no contact with, and took it out on him is beyond me,” he said.
Ruiz called Aaron Acosta on Monday while en route to his home, but he planned to stop for the night before reaching San Antonio.
The following morning, the Las Palapas founder called his nephew and invited him to stay at his home instead of heading to his son’s house.
Ruiz agreed, but when he arrived, Acosta wrote in a family group chat that Ruiz was at his home and called for a family gathering to discuss what to do with his nephew.
However, at around 11 a.m., the San Antonio Police Department was called to Acosta’s home, where they found the businessman unresponsive and bleeding from multiple stab wounds.
He was declared dead at the scene, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the outlet.
Police said a housekeeper witnessed Ruiz stabbing Acosta, pleading with him to stop before calling 911.
Ruiz fled the scene and was still on the run when his father heard about the murder and texted him to turn himself over to the police.
The alleged killer was arrested hours later after being pulled over by police in Kimble County, about 100 miles northwest of San Antonio.
He is awaiting extradition to Bexar County to face a first-degree murder charge.
Acosta founded the Tex-Mex chain Las Palapas in 1981, expanding it to multiple locations throughout South and Central Texas before selling his majority stake in the company in 2020.
He is remembered as a beloved member of the San Antonio community, with a huge charitable heart and a strong sense of faith, his friend, Gilbert Hernandez, told News4SA.
Las Palapas Restaurant issued a statement saying it was “heartbroken” over Acosta’s murder.
“Ron was a man of deep faith, a generous spirit, and a true community leader. His warmth, vision, and work ethic left an undeniable mark on San Antonio,” the company said.
“Ron’s impact reached far beyond the restaurants he helped build. He brought people together, created jobs and opportunities, and shared his love of culture and community in everything he did. He will be missed more than words can express.”
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