HOUSTON -- Charges were filed Tuesday against a suspect who allegedly stabbed a 25-year-old woman more than 60 times, killing her in front of her young children, police told News2Houston.

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Mother Stabbed In Front Of Her Children

Elber Ruben Vazquez, 19, was charged with murdering Mireya Hernandez in her southwest Houston apartment May 4.

Investigators said he slaughtered Hernandez because of lust. Vazquez was a close friend of the victim's husband.

"Ms. Hernandez was never introduced to Vazquez, but on several occasions Vazquez mentioned to Mr. Hernandez, 'You sure have a pretty wife.' Mr. Hernandez said that he had been with his wife for nine years. He told me that she had never been with another man, would never let another man touch her. Evidently, that's the reason she lost her life," said Sgt. Jim Ramsey, with the Houston Police Department.

Ramsey said Vazquez waited until the victim's husband left for work and then talked his way into the couple's apartment in the 6000 block of Bissonnet around 11:30 a.m. When she refused to have sex with Vazquez, he stabbed her more than 60 times with a butcher and steak knife, according to police.

"We couldn't (file a) capital murder (charge), because we could not prove the sexual assault. Because once he got through butchering her, she was apparently undesirable to him," Ramsey said.

When police arrived at Hernandez's apartment, her 2-year-old daughter Jasmine was sitting on her chest, stroking her hair and asking her mom to "please wake up." A 10-month-old daughter was found nearby in a baby's bed. Both children were unharmed, but covered in blood.

"He's left these two little girls without a mom," Ramsey said.

Detectives linked Vazquez to the murder through the trail of blood, which was found in the victim's apartment and five doors down, where he was living.

"The guys (in the apartment) said that their friend, Vazquez, had a cut hand that morning and got in his car and left," Ramsey said.

Detectives believe Vazquez is hiding out in Mexico.

He is also suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States from Mexico.

Vazquez arrived in the United States in 1984 and had a dual citizenship. He is believed to have a used car dealership in Mexico.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call HPD Homicide at (713) 308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-TIPS.