Kitty Diaz, one of three young women from Texas, was seen in bright orange prison attire and shackled as she left court on Wednesday.
Images and video captured her, a 21-year-old murder suspect, nervously glancing around while being escorted from the Val Verde County Courthouse by deputies.
Kitty didn’t offer excuses during her hearing concerning first-degree murder and tampering with evidence related to the stabbing death of 32-year-old Caroline “Caro” Peña, which took place on June 25 during an argument in Del Rio.
The judge lowered Kitty’s bail from $5 million to $2 million, but it seemed still too steep for her, as she was transferred to a local jail following the hearing.
This was Kitty’s first court appearance without her sister, Cookie Amaya Diaz, 19, and their friend Candra Renee Faz, 21, who also face murder charges.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows the three women repeatedly stabbing and punching their mother, leading to a frantic attempt to cover up the violent act, as stated by authorities.
A criminal complaint revealed that Kitty was dressed in a pink tank top and blue jeans during the incident, while her sister matched her in a red tank top and similar jeans.
However, by the time law enforcement arrived at the sisters’ home about two hours later, their demeanor had shifted. Kitty and Amaya were found acting strangely, with Kitty no longer in the same clothes shown in the video footage and appearing freshly showered.
Police believe Kitty attempted to destroy evidence of the assault. During a search, they discovered her clothing—a pink crop top—recently washed, which was noted in court records.
Initially, Kitty had also mentioned that her young son was present in the home, which seems to have complicated her situation, ultimately leading to charges of murder and evidence tampering.
In a troubling clip, Kitty, barefoot and dressed in revealing clothing, could be seen laughing while being escorted to a police vehicle, while her sister seemed to play up for the camera, casually asking someone to stop filming.
Faz, during questioning, implied that Peña came to start a conflict, but soon after, Kitty and her sister arrived in a Chrysler 300. The complaint mentions surveillance showing Cookie exiting the car and confronting Peña, who was later seen getting punched as blood started to stain her clothes.
According to the charges, that was when Kitty and Faz allegedly joined in and attacked Peña.
Regrettably, Peña succumbed to her injuries at a hospital in San Antonio.
As of now, Del Rio police haven’t provided a motive for this alleged attack or clarified the exact relationship between the defendants and Peña.
Both Cookie and Faz remain incarcerated, each with a bail set at $5 million. Current timelines for the next court appearance for the three women are still unclear.
