Murder Victim Beaten to Death, Dismembered and Barbecued

During a San Antonio murder trial, the victim's girlfriend said she realized he was dead when she saw his remains being "grilled" on a barbecue pit.

Gabriel Moreno, 34, and Daniel Moreno Lopez, 31, have been accused for the murder of Joe Luis Menchaca on Sept. 30, 2014. Lopez is being tried first, while Moreno and Lopez's girlfriend, Candie Dominguez, are awaiting trial, reports MySanAntonio.

The victim's girlfriend, Sylvia Flores, told a jury Thursday that she saw the defendants attack Menchaca with aluminum baseball bats. Menchaca's remains were found dismembered, with some parts in a blue plastic bin. Other parts were found in a barbecue pit, reports the San Antonio Express News.

Flores, who admitted to be addicted to heroin at the time of the beating, said Menchaca was close to a Dominguez, who lived with Lopez. She said the two got into a fight that involved the day before she saw the alleged beating. During that altercation, Menchaca stabbed Lopez, and Lopez shot Menchaca, Flores said.

The day after that fight, Flores and Menchaca went to a house with Dominguez and another girl to trade makeup for drugs. Dominguez led them to a room, where Lopez and Moreno started "hitting" Menchaca with "bats, on his head and body," Flores testified.

Flores said the defendants beat Menchaca until he fell to the ground. "He was on his back and was screaming for his life," she said.

After the beating, Flores was taken to a bathroom, where she was stripped of her clothes and bound. Flores believes she was held for about three days and had no idea what happened to Menchaca. At one point, she was moved to another house and was still not told what happened to her boyfriend.

When she was moved back to the previous house, Lopez took her to a barbecue pit, where she saw some of Menchaca's remains.

"I saw a leg or arm, a joint," Flores testified. "He [Lopez] was poking it with a stick."

Days later, she finally escaped by telling one of them she needed clothes. Another woman was told to take her home, but she was taken to another man's house instead.

"He gave me $25 and a cell phone, and I called a taxi and ran out the door," she told the jury.

Another witness, Dennis Austin, testified on Wednesday, reports MySanAntonio. Austin said he went into the home where the beating took place. His fiance is a cousin of Lopez and Moreno.

"I saw blood on the walls, on the couch, on the floor, the victim bound at his hands and feet, and his mouth taped up," Austin said. "He [Menchaca] was bleeding from his cheeks, there was blood everywhere on him. It was like a horror movie."

Moreno faces up to life in prison if convicted. Judge Ron Rangel will sentence the defendant.

Gabriel Moreno Mugshot Photo credit: San Antonio Police Department