Texas woman charged in gang machete death on run after skipping bail, DA says

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A woman suspected of luring a man to his death by machete-wielding MS-13 gang members is on the run after she cut off her ankle monitor and jumped bail, Texas authorities said Wednesday. 

Karla Jackelin Morales, 20, fled just days before her Oct. 25, 2021 trial for her suspected role in the shooting and ambush stabbing death of 24-year-old Jose Villanueva, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. 

"She helped plan and plot this vicious execution, and somebody out there knows where she is hiding," Ogg said in a statement. 

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Karla Jackelin Morales, 20, allegedly lured a man to his ambush hacking death by gang members and is now on the run after cutting off her GPS monitor days before her trial, authorities said.  (Harris County District Attorney's Office )

Morales was the last of six defendants to face trial for the 2018 death of Villanueva. The other five have been convicted and sentenced to prison terms. 

On July 29, 2018, Morales allegedly lured Villanueva to a grassy field near an elementary school to smoke marijuana, a birthday gift. Once there, the gang members hacked him with machetes, prosecutors said. As Villanueva tried crawling away, he was repeatedly shot, they said.

The scheme had been planned for weeks, Ogg said. The gang members had been searching for Villanueva for allegedly disparaging the gang in a rap battle, her office said. 

Jose Villanueva (Harris County District Attorney's Office )

His body was found days later. 

Morales was born in California but has family in Honduras and El Salvador. She may still be in the Houston area, authorities said. She was free on $60,000 bail. 

Prosecutors asked a judge to set bail at $250,000. Bail was instead ordered at $100,000 and later lowered. In addition, her fees for the ankle monitor were waived. 

Morales failed to appear at a court hearing days later and has not been seen since. She has since been charged with bond jumping. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to her capture. 

Karla Jackelin Morales (Harris County District Attorney's Office )

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Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. Morales goes by the names "Cherry," "Karlita," "Missy," and "Foxy" and is described as being 5 feet tall with a heavy build. She has a tattoo on her chest that reads "Alicia."