Sources: Mexican Mafia boss suspected of ordering cop’s death The arrest was madein another homicide case

Ruben Reyes is escorted Wednesday November 26, 2014 out of the Federal Courthouse in San Antonio, Texas. Reyes,36, is a purported enforcer for the Texas Mexican Mafia and was arrested on charges he killed three high-ranking members of the same gang and is also suspected of having given orders to kill Balcones Heights Police Officer Julian Pesina. less Ruben Reyes is escorted Wednesday November 26, 2014 out of the Federal Courthouse in San Antonio, Texas. Reyes,36, is a purported enforcer for the Texas Mexican Mafia and was arrested on charges he killed three ... more Photo: JOHN DAVENPORT, San Antonio Express-News Photo: JOHN DAVENPORT, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 42 Caption Close Sources: Mexican Mafia boss suspected of ordering cop’s death 1 / 42 Back to Gallery

After surviving an attempted hit earlier this month, a purported enforcer for the Texas Mexican Mafia in San Antonio decided to switch his allegiance to the police, admitting he had killed three fellow gang bosses in January, a federal affidavit states.

Ruben “Menace” Reyes, allegedly a former “lieutenant of lieutenants” with the notorious prison gang, was arrested Wednesday in connection with the deaths of the three men.

However, he also is suspected of involvement in a number of other slayings in the area, including ordering the May killing of Balcones Heights police officer Julian Pesina, sources have told the San Antonio Express-News.

Reyes, 36, officially was charged with using and discharging a firearm during a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity, but has not been indicted yet. Authorities said he could be charged with other crimes as the investigation continues.

Reyes decided to talk to police after he himself became “the target of a TMM hit” on Nov. 9, the affidavit states.

He was shot once in the back when four men, clad all in black, opened fire on him at his apartment in the 1700 block of South Hamilton Avenue, officials said. Police said at the time that the men knocked on his door, calling his name, and an exchange of gunfire ensued.

On Nov. 14, Reyes contacted San Antonio police detectives to talk about the shooting, and he also “began providing information on multiple unsolved murders in San Antonio,” the affidavit states.

The charge Reyes currently is facing carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if there is a conviction, and a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.

A bail hearing will be held next week, but prosecutors said they plan to ask the judge to keep Reyes in custody.

The three Mexican Mafia members Reyes admitted to shooting and killing in January were Carlos “Worm” Chapa, Mark Anthony “Lefty” Bernal and Johnny “Smiley” Solis, an affidavit written by FBI agent Martin Martinez states. The three men were found in a shallow grave in Pearsall one week ago.

Reyes told authorities he was ordered to kill the men after the gang accused them “of mishandling approximately $60,000, and making poor decisions in regards to the TMM daily operations,” the affidavit states.

At a court hearing Wednesday, Reyes — dressed in a white T-shirt and dark sweatpants — sat quietly at the defense table. He answered the judge’s questions with a simple “yes” or “no” and asked the court to appoint him an attorney.

Court documents state Chapa was a general, Solis was lieutenant of lieutenants and Bernal was a captain in the Texas Mexican Mafia, which also is known as Mexikanemi and Eme. But the three had been stripped of their titles for their alleged misdeeds, authorities said.

In January, Solis, Bernal and Chapa all were reported missing. That month, Solis’ and Bernal’s cars were found completely burned by what investigators ruled were intentionally set fires. Authorities also found what appeared to be bullet holes in the ruins of Bernal’s car.

The FBI says Reyes acknowledged he was the one who shot and killed the three men on Jan. 13 and that he was acting on orders from the gang.

He’s alleged to have outlined to police how he and another unidentified member of the gang dug a grave in Pearsall for the three men in the days before the killings. Then, on Jan. 13, he arranged to meet up separately with the three victims, killed them and dumped their bodies, the affidavit says.

Authorities dug up the corpses last week near County Road 1143 in Pearsall and Reyes identified them, court documents show.

In addition to connecting Reyes to the Balcones Heights officer’s death, sources said he is most recently suspected of being involved in an Oct. 22 shooting in the 700 block of Fay Avenue that killed Ernest Ibarra, 45, and injured another man.

“He's suspected in a lot of murders,” a source familiar with the investigation said.

Pesina, the Balcones Heights officer, was killed May 4 while he was off duty outside a San Antonio tattoo parlor that he co-owned. Prior to his death, Pesina had been under investigation for involvement in drug activity, sources have said, and had a number of tattoos worn by Texas Mexican Mafia members.

Three other men have been arrested and charged with murder for Pesina’s death: Jesse Santibanez, 25; Jerry Idrogo, 33; and Alfred Cardona, 36.

A raid at Idrogo’s apartment three days before Pesina’s death turned up a ledger with Pesina’s name, address, phone number and nickname under the heading “North Roster,” Idrogo’s arrest affidavit states. The ledger listed names of suspected Texas Mexican Mafia members, authorities alleged.

Court records show Reyes has previously been charged with making terroristic threats, theft of up to $500 and the unlawful carrying of a handgun. His arrest was tied to a five-year, multiagency investigation into the Texas Mexican Mafia’s alleged drug and extortion crimes in the area, authorities said.

News Researcher Julie Domel contributed to this report.

djoseph@express-news.net