Reynaldo Lee Rios was 19 years old when he was shot and killed in Wichita Falls, Texas, on July 21, 1990. A Hispanic/Latino male, Reynaldo was remembered by friends and family as “NayNay,” and his death became the beginning of an especially painful period for the Rios family. What at first stood as the violent loss of one young man would soon be followed by another devastating tragedy involving his brother.
Richard Solis Arrieta was identified as the man responsible for Reynaldo’s
shooting. Arrieta was convicted in connection with the killing and served a prison sentence before eventually being released in 2013. Texas court records show that Arrieta later pursued post-conviction relief through the state court system, confirming that his case remained active in the courts years after the original prosecution. Although many of the original trial records and details of the evidence presented against him are not readily available online, the conviction established criminal responsibility for Reynaldo’s death.
The impact of Reynaldo’s murder on his family was compounded only three months later. On October 21, 1990, his brother, Herbie Rios, was shot while walking along Scott Street in Wichita Falls. Herbie’s killing came so soon after Reynaldo’s death that the two tragedies became closely linked in the family’s history, leaving relatives to grieve two violent deaths within the span of a single season.
Unlike Reynaldo’s case, Herbie’s homicide was never solved. No publicly identified suspect was ultimately held responsible for his death, and the case remained without a resolution. The contrast between the two investigations was stark: Reynaldo’s killer was convicted and imprisoned, while Herbie’s family was left without the same measure of accountability or answers.
The deaths of Reynaldo and Herbie Rios left a lasting mark on those who knew them. Reynaldo’s memorial has continued to receive messages decades after his death, with people remembering his personality and the life he lost so young. The passage of time has not erased the significance of either case. Reynaldo’s murder resulted in a conviction, while Herbie’s killing remains an unresolved chapter in the same family’s history of loss.
