By Andy Sevilla

Two men accused in the stabbing death of another man in east Kyle on Monday are in jail, Hays County Sheriff’s officials said Tuesday.

John White, 20, was arrested Monday and charged with murder for his alleged involvement in the stabbing death of 32-year-old Nicolas Ugalde Campos, court documents and jail records show.

Authorities were on the hunt for a second suspect, Mauricio Rodriguez Frias, 27, who later turned himself in to the Kyle Police Department Tuesday afternoon. 

Hours after the Monday murder, authorities had identified Frias as Jose Mauricio Ortiz, approximately 30 years old. Hays County Sheriff’s Sgt. Phillip Taylor said Tuesday Jose Mauricio Ortiz is an alias for Frias. 

Campos was found lying dead in a ditch near the Dove Hills neighborhood in east Kyle Monday. The Travis county Medical Examiner’s Office, which conducted an autopsy on Campos Tuesday morning, found the cause of death to be homicide by stabbing.

White told Hays County sheriff’s detectives in a recorded interview that he and Frias, whom he refers to as Ortiz, picked Campos up at a bar in San Marcos Monday before heading to a residence in the 100 block of Quail Cove in Kyle, according to White’s arrest affidavit.

Once at the Kyle residence, where White and Frias live, White told investigators Frias and Campos got into a physical disturbance outside the home and Frias pulled out a knife he normally carries, the affidavit said.

White said the argument between the two came about because Frias wanted more cocaine and wanted Campos to buy it.

White told investigators another resident at the Quail Cove home asked Campos to leave, which he did by running off and jumping over two fences. That’s when Frias entered his vehicle and went looking for Campos down the street, the affidavit said. After catching up with him down the road, White said he entered Frias’ car and both drove back to their residence, the affidavit said.

Once there, while Frias drank beer in the driveway, he described to White a conversation he had had with Campos, according to White’s statement. Frias said Campos had talked about raping his brother’s 16-year-old girlfriend, the affidavit said.

“White stated that made him angry and he and [Frias] talked about killing [Campos],” the affidavit said. “…White stated he and [Frias] made a plan to kill [Campos] and he was just going to beat him until he died.”

Both suspects then headed out in a grey Dodge Avenger to look for Campos and found him in the area of Red Bird Trail and Dove Lane, the affidavit said. White then told investigators he got out of the car to talk with Campos and became enraged when Campos made comments about his alleged rape-victim.

White told investigators he struck Campos in the face using his fist. Frias then came up from behind and hit Campos, causing him to fall into a drainage ditch, the affidavit said. That’s when both men left for home and left Campos lying behind.

Shortly after, the suspects heard dogs barking and the two headed to where Campos was left lying, the affidavit said. Once Campos stood up and attempted to run away, Frias tripped him and both began pummeling Campos, White told investigators.

White said he couldn’t go through with killing Campos, so he got up from the drainage ditch and onto the roadway, while Frias remained on top of Campos, the affidavit said. 

White told investigators he and Frias started to leave, but Frias returned to Campos, who was lying in the ditch. White said he could not see Frias stabbing Campos, but could see Frias on top of Campos, the affidavit said. 

White said he went back home, and Frias later returned, too, but had blood on the lower half of his body, the affidavit said. White also said Frias had Campos’ wallet and his ID, which Frias eventually threw over the fence into a neighbor’s yard.

White told investigators he observed Frias wiping the blade of a knife he usually carries, and that knife had blood on it. 

Another witness to the scene told investigators that White’s bloody clothing was in a bedroom in the home inside a black bag, the affidavit said. While carrying out a search warrant, investigators found bloody gray camouflage shorts inside a bedroom in a black bag, the affidavit said. 

That witness told police White was also fighting Campos along with Frias, and not trying to break up the fight.

Both suspect are being held in the Hays County Jail, records show. Bond had not yet been set for either one Tuesday evening. 

The case remains under investigation and anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Hays County Sheriff’s Office at (512) 393-7896 or Hays County Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 324-TIPS [8477]. 

Information may also be submitted electronically at Hays County Crime Stoppers website or by using the free “TipSubmit” application from a smart phone. 

Any information leading to an arrest and indictment of the suspects will be eligible for a $1,000 cash reward.