by | Published
A California man wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of 78-year-old Ron Acosta, founder of the Las Palapas restaurant chain, was taken into custody Tuesday, July 1, 2025, during a traffic stop on Interstate 10 near the Segovia Truck Stop in Kimble County.
Deputies from the Kimble County Sheriff’s Office, along with Junction Police Department officers, responded after receiving a tip that the suspect was traveling westbound on I-10 from San Antonio. Authorities stopped the vehicle without incident and detained 39-year-old David Ruiz of Whittier, California. He was booked into the Kimble County Jail on a murder warrant issued out of Bexar County.
According to San Antonio Police, Ruiz was invited to stay with a family member—identified in arrest documents as Edward Ronald Acosta—at a residence on Reata Trail in the Stone Oak area. At approximately 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, police responded to the home, where Acosta was found fatally stabbed. A housekeeper present in the home called 911, telling dispatchers there was “blood all around” the victim and she “can’t control the bleeding.”
Investigators say an argument inside the home escalated before Ruiz allegedly attacked Acosta. Ruiz had initially been invited to stay with Acosta’s son, but messages reviewed in a family group chat confirmed the victim later offered Ruiz a place to stay at his residence.
Ruiz fled the scene and was later tracked heading west out of San Antonio. The investigation remains active and ongoing.
