Inset: Paula Blancas-Espinosa (Wise County Sheriff's Office). Background: The area near where a man's body was found in Wise County, Texas (Google Maps).
A Texas woman is behind bars after using a "ruse" to get a man in her car before she slit his throat and dumped his body on the side of the road in a rural area, law enforcement in the Lone Star State says.
Paula Blancas-Espinosa, 36, stands accused of one count of murder over the death of 26-year-old Jorge Sosa-Vargas, according to the Wise County Sheriff's Office.
The investigation began on the morning of Nov. 3, when the deceased man's body was found alongside Hickory Street in Wise County — roughly 27 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
Authorities first worked to identify the victim, the sheriff's office said, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Messenger. After confirming Sosa-Vargas' identity, investigators went to his listed place of residence in Fort Worth and spoke with the defendant.
During that visit, Blancas-Espinosa allegedly admitted to killing the man over a domestic incident, according to law enforcement.
"Blancas-Espinosa [said] she drove Sosa-Vargas to the location in her 2024 Toyota Tundra under the ruse of discussing their problems," the charging document reads. "Blancas-Espinosa [said] she stabbed Sosa-Vargas several times and cut his throat."
After that alleged admission, the defendant took investigators with the sheriff's office and Texas Rangers to a 7-Eleven gas station in Justin — an outer-ring suburb of Fort Worth some 15 miles east of where the victim's body was discovered.
At the convenience store, Blancas-Espinosa said she dropped the knife she used into a trash can by a gas pump. Investigators verified that claim using surveillance footage, according to the affidavit.
The defendant is being detained in the Wise County Jail on $500,000 bond.
The investigation is ongoing, authorities said.
"The Wise County Sheriff's Office appreciates the assistance and cooperation of the public and partner agencies during this investigation," the sheriff's office said in a press release announcing the arrest.