In September 2023, Roan Alejandro Diaz and a family member got into a fight outside their apartment in Laredo. It ended with a man stabbed and dying at a hospital.
Almost three years later, a jury is hearing the case in Laredo's 406th District Court.
📍 What Happened
It was September 1, 2023. Diaz was 17 years old.
He and 29-year-old Johnny Contreras got into a violent fight outside an apartment complex on the 2400 block of Pierce Street. Police said the conflict started as a family dispute.
Contreras was stabbed in the abdomen. He was rushed to a Laredo hospital. He died there.
Laredo police called it the city's fifth homicide of 2023.
Diaz was arrested that same night.
⚖️ The Charge and the Defense
Diaz was originally charged with murder.
That charge was later reduced to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. If convicted, he faces two to 20 years in prison.
His defense says he acted in self-defense.
📋 Where the Trial Stands
The trial started this week in the 406th District Court in Laredo. June 10 was day three of testimony.
The jury has heard evidence and listened to witnesses. A verdict has not been reached yet.
Both sides have laid out what they say happened that night on Pierce Street.
The jury will decide what the evidence shows.
🔴 UPDATE:
A Webb County jury found Roan Alejandro Diaz not guilty on June 11, 2026.
The jury decided he acted in self-defense when he stabbed Johnny Joe Contreras in Laredo in September 2023. Contreras died from the stab wounds.
After hearing all the evidence, the jury cleared Diaz of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He walked out of court a free man.
