Ruiz is behind bars on a $250,000 bond after being arrested in Kimble County on Tuesday. Officials said he’s on suicide watch.
SAN ANTONIO — The 39-year-old California man accused of killing Edward Ronald Acosta, the Las Palapas restaurant chain founder, was brought to the Bexar County Jail to be booked Thursday evening.
David Ruiz faces a charge of murder in connection with Acosta’s death. San Antonio police responded to the victim’s home on the 19200 block of Reata Trail on Tuesday, where authorities said he was found stabbed to death.
A few hours later, Ruiz was stopped and taken into custody on a highway in Kimble County, according to arrest records. Authorities believe he may have been trying to flee the state. An affidavit states Ruiz, of the Los Angeles area, was invited to stay at Acosta’s home before the bloodshed occurred.
“The housekeeper called,” Police Chief William McManus said about when authorities were notified. “She was the other person in the house at the time. The victim lived here by himself.”
Ruiz’s father told KENS 5 the suspect is Acosta’s nephew.
Bexar County officials say he was placed under suicide watch “and is being monitored closely,” including “face-to-face observation every 15 minutes.” He has a bond of $250,000.
‘He brought people together’
The crime has stunned the San Antonio community as police investigators continue to determine a motive.
Acosta, who was 78 years old and better known as Ron Acosta in the community, founded Las Palapas in 1981 before the Tex-Mex restaurant blossomed into a chain of dozens of locations.
“His warmth, vision, and work ethic left an undeniable mark on San Antonio,” representatives of the chain posted on the Las Palapas Facebook page. “Many knew him as the founder of Las Palapas, but those closest to him knew him as a kind, God-fearing man who believed in serving others, whether through food, friendship, or faith.”
Wayne Detmar took over as CEO and majority owner of Las Palapas in 2020. In a statement to KENS 5, he remembered Acosta as “a man whose heart was rooted deeply in faith, family and community.”
“He was never one to seek the spotlight, but his kindness, generosity and unwavering belief in serving others left a mark on everyone who crossed his path,” Detmar said.
The Las Palapas leader went on to say Acosta “laid the foundation” for what the chain is today, having “brought joy to thousands every single day.”
“His spirit lives on in every taco served, every guest welcomed and every community we support. We will carry on his legacy, not just in the business he created, but in how we continue to give back and love our neighbors, just as Ron always did.”