An arrest warrant says the suspect chose a stranger at a Fiesta Mart to “prove he was tough.”
GARLAND, Texas — A 32-year-old man charged in a fatal stabbing at a Garland grocery store told investigators he picked a stranger at random because he wanted to “prove he was tough,” according to an arrest warrant released after the weekend attack.
Police identified the suspect as Juan Pedro Reyes and the victim as 39-year-old Franky Selyma Arredondo Barrios. Investigators say the attack happened Friday night inside the Fiesta Mart in the 2900 block of South First Street. The case drew sharp attention because police described it as unprovoked and random, a type of violence officials said is unusual in Garland. Reyes later turned himself in and was booked on a murder charge.
According to the warrant, Reyes told investigators he first went to a skate park to be alone and had thoughts of hurting someone. He then decided to drive to the Fiesta Mart and choose a person to stab. Police said he stayed inside the store for about 30 minutes before focusing on Arredondo Barrios, who was alone in the back of the store. Investigators said there was no conversation between the men before the attack. Reyes told officers he came up behind the victim and stabbed him, then ran from the store. Garland police said officers were called to the store shortly after 8 p.m. Friday and found the victim suffering from stab wounds. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
The arrest affidavit says Reyes told investigators he hid the knife in a storm drain after leaving the store. He also said he threw away his hat, gloves and sweatshirt in a trash can at a park near his home because he did not want to get caught. Police said officers later recovered those items where Reyes said they would be, including the knife from the storm drain. Lt. Pedro Barineau, a Garland police spokesman, said investigators believe the victim had simply been shopping when he was attacked. “He chose that grocery store to go to, and when he went there, he targeted the victim, and he stabbed him,” Barineau said in describing what police say Reyes told detectives. Authorities have not publicly described any prior connection between Reyes and Arredondo Barrios.
The warrant adds a second timeline that begins after Reyes returned home. Investigators said his mother asked where his hat and sweatshirt were, and Reyes replied that he had hidden them because he had stabbed someone at Fiesta Mart. According to the affidavit, his mother did not believe him at first, and the family went to bed. The next morning, police say, Reyes’ father went to the store to check whether anything had happened and learned there had been a stabbing. After that, the affidavit says, Reyes’ parents urged him to go to police and took him to the station. Investigators said Reyes told them he did not know the victim had died before he surrendered. Police have not publicly released details about whether Reyes had an attorney at the time of his statements or whether additional mental health evaluations will be sought in court.
The killing rattled businesses and shoppers in the area around the store. FOX 4 reported that Janet Marquez, who works at a nearby market in the same shopping plaza, said Arredondo Barrios was a regular customer and had stopped by to order food before walking into Fiesta while he waited. She said he never returned to pick up the order. Her account added a personal layer to a case that police had already described in stark terms: a man running an ordinary errand, attacked without warning in a familiar place. Barineau said such attacks on strangers are rare for the department, calling the case tragic for the victim’s family and for others touched by the violence.
As of the latest police update, Reyes was being held in the Garland Detention Center on a murder charge. The next major step is his first appearance in court, where a judge is expected to review the charge and any bond conditions.
Author note: Last updated April 1, 2026.