A Texas man suspected of being involved in a 2021 cold case was arrested last week in Austin on suspicion of stabbing a victim to death, but was released on bail after four days in jail.
According to Fox 7, Mitovar Christopher Antoine Jr., now 22, is accused of stabbing 23-year-old Nicholas Martinez to death near the victim’s apartment complex in South Austin in July 2021.
On the day of the incident, Martinez was stabbed while playing a video game with his nephew while taking a break from unloading laundry in the common areas of his apartment complex.
He called 911 to report that he had been stabbed, then drove to a nearby gas station to get help, but later died from his injuries.
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Mitovar Christopher Antoine Jr., now 22, is accused of stabbing 23-year-old Nicolas Martinez to death in July 2021. (Bell County Jail)
Martinez’s parents said they were angry that information had not been released about who killed their son two years ago.
“We know nothing is going to bring (him) back,” Martinez’s father, Martin Martinez, told Fox 7. “Nothing is going to make it better, but it’s just the not knowing that’s killing us.”
“We think it happened randomly, and we don’t know why,” Martinez’s mother, Wendy Martinez, told the outlet. “So if anybody sees something, just come forward.”
According to a Fox 7 report, in June of this year, Austin police received an anonymous tip that Antoine Jr. had been seen stabbing Martinez to death near a South Austin apartment complex, according to an arrest warrant.
In June of this year, Austin police received an anonymous tip that Antoine Jr. was seen stabbing Martinez near a South Austin apartment complex. (iStock)
Police executed another search warrant and discovered the suspect was looking for newspaper articles related to a stabbing that occurred in Austin days after Martinez’s death.
Law enforcement found Antoine Jr. in Temple last week, and he was arrested and booked into the Bell County Jail. A judge set his bail at $150,000, and he was released four days later.
Bell County officials tell Fox 7 the suspect was released without being extradited to Travis County.
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Police executed a search warrant and discovered that Antoine Jr. had been searching newspaper articles related to a stabbing that had occurred in Austin just days after Martinez’s death. (Getty Images)
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According to court documents, Antoine Jr. was arrested two years before Martinez’s death on charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and home invasion, according to Fox 7. He was released from jail on bail two months before Martinez’s murder.
Because he was on probation, Bell County could revoke his probation and apply for another arrest warrant, which would put him back in jail.
A Travis County grand jury will still have to indict Antoine Jr. for Martinez’s murder.
