ALVIN, Texas - It is a new twist, revealed by court documents, linked to a May murder in Galveston County.
Sheriff’s investigators believe Francisco Esparza Jr., may have died because he tried to stop a bizarre religious ritual a self-proclaimed spiritual healer was performing on a 19-year-old.
That teen was a relative of Esparza.
The teen told investigators Jose Leyva, who’s now charged with murder, held three “spiritual” sessions with him. During the meetings, the teenager says Leyva removed the teen’s clothes and rubbed him down with olive oil.
During one of those sessions, the encounter turned sexual, the teen says, when Leyva performed a sexual act on the man.
Investigators believe Esparza Jr. was attempting to stop Leyva from harassing the 19-year-old after he refused to continue meeting with Leyva. Three other people are also charged in Esparza Jr.’s murder. Arrest documents show detectives linked those men to Esparza, who apparently asked for help with the killing.
The four men are being held on a $250,000 bond.