Man stabbed another following argument over meth sale on Congress Avenue: affidavit

A man has been arrested for allegedly stabbing another man in Downtown Austin following an argument over the sale of methamphetamine.

Hilario Chavez Adrian, 56, has been charged with first-degree felony murder in the early morning stabbing at 6th and Congress on Sunday, Dec. 10.

Court paperwork says around 4:17 a.m., a call came in about a man stabbed in the 600 block of Congress Avenue. The victim had apparently been stabbed right in the street. 

Officers responded within five minutes and began performing CPR. ATCEMS responded and transported the man to Dell Seton Medical Center where he died from his injuries almost an hour after the initial call.

A witness told police on scene he had seen the victim get stabbed, and the suspect was still on scene, standing near the 7-Eleven wearing a hat. The suspect, identified as Adrian, was then detained and handcuffed while officers investigated.

The witness later told police he had been standing on the sidewalk close to Adrian and the victim, and the victim had given Adrian some methamphetamine, says the affidavit. The victim requested payment for the meth, which prompted a disagreement that turned physical. 

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The witness said Adrian paid the victim and began walking away, and so he believed the argument was finished. The victim also began to walk away, but Adrian then picked up a knife off the ground, ran up behind him and stabbed him, according to the affidavit. The victim then walked across Congress Ave. to the other side of the street and laid down on the ground.

Adrian also crossed the street, still holding the knife, and began to yell threats at the victim, said the witness in the affidavit, who also told police he believed Adrian hid the knife somewhere around the metal planters near Royal Blue Grocery. Investigators later found a large kitchen knife in that area.

Another witness told police she had seen Adrian standing over the victim while he was face down on the sidewalk. Adrian then began stabbing the victim in the back, according to the affidavit.

During an interview with detectives, Adrian confirmed the witness's account of the argument and the knife he used to stab the victim was his. Detectives asked him if he thought he did anything wrong, to which Adrian replied, "Ya I did do wrong, because stabbing people is wrong," says the affidavit.

DowntownCrime and Public Safety