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Covering Dallas, Monmouth, Independence, Falls City and surrounding areas since 1868
POLK COUNTY -- A dispute between two Independence families last week ended with a husband and wife allegedly shooting a relative -- then immediately driving him to the hospital, law enforcement officials said.
Cristino Seledonio-Guillermo, 32, and Rosaura Virgenio, 24, were both arraigned on Thursday, Aug. 26, in Polk County Circuit Court on charges of attempted murder and assault I.
Cristino Seledonio-Guillermo
The two are each accused of shooting Seledonio-Guillermo's brother-in-law, Sergio Reyes-Mateos, 37, twice on Aug. 24 on a rural stretch of road just south of Monmouth, said Polk County Sheriff's Detective Mike Holsapple.
Reyes-Mateos was taken by the couple to West Valley Hospital in Dallas. He was later transported to Salem Hospital in critical condition.
Holsapple said the violent ordeal appears to have centered on money, perceived "disrespect" by Seledonio-Guillermo and a demand for an apology.
"The way it happened is bizarre, but there are some cultural issues here," he said. "For Seledonio-Guillermo, it was a serious thing."
Both of the suspects are Mexican nationals; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a detainer on Virgenio, Holsapple said.
Rosaura Virgenio
Seledonio-Guillermo and Reyes-Mateos had agreed to meet in a deserted spot at about 9 p.m. on Aug. 24 to settle their differences, Holsapple said.
The men and their wives drove out to Brateng Road near the Elkins Road junction. When they arrived, Seledonio-Guillermo produced an SKS assault rifle, confronted Reyes-Mateos, then shot him in the groin, court documents said.
Reyes-Mateos still refused to offer an apology. As he attempted to call for help over his cell phone, he was shot below his right knee by Virgenio with a .22 caliber pistol, the documents said.
"Then he apologized," Holsapple said. "And that's when they helped him out."
The two loaded Reyes-Mateos up in a car and drove back home so Virgenio could care for the couple's five children, he said.
Seledonio-Guillermo then dropped his brother-in-law off at the hospital, where officials contacted sheriff's deputies.
Holsapple said during subsequent interviews the suspects claimed that they had "stopped to go to the bathroom when two guys in a car pulled up, shot them and drove off" before confessing.
Virgenio also admitted she knew she and her husband were going to get Reyes-Mateos "to apologize or use the guns to probably kill him," court documents said.
Reyes-Mateo's wife and infant child were present during the shooting, Holsapple said. Authorities have placed Seledonio-Guillermo and Virgenio's children into foster care.
The husband and wife are currently lodged in Polk County Jail and will appear in court on Thursday, Sept. 2.
