Husband killed trying to break up brawl on night out with wife, Texas family says
A Texas man was fatally stabbed while trying to break up a brawl during a night out with his wife, his family says.
Officers responded to a call about a “large disturbance between multiple individuals” in a parking lot on the city’s northeast side at about 12:10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 17, the News Braunfels Police Department said in a news release. A 52-year-old old man with stab wounds was taken to a hospital where he later died, police said.
Mario Saldana and his wife were leaving El Flaco Event Center after a party when the fight broke out, his wife, Rosanna Perez, told KENS, adding that her husband stepped in despite not knowing any of the people involved.
“I told my husband, we needed to leave, let’s go,” she told the station. “Immediately he’s like, ‘No, let me go tell these people to calm down, they need to stop.’ He was trying to deescalate the situation.”
A man, later identified as 55-year-old David Saldana, killed Mario Saldana, according to police.
“He tried to separate people, and I guess they got angry,” Perez told KSAT. “Next thing, he stabbed him. This was something that didn’t need to happen.”
There’s no relation between Mario Saldana and David Saldana, the outlet reported.
“He stabbed him first in the chest, several times,” Perez told KENS. “We tried to get away, and I guess that wasn’t enough for him. He came and tackled him to the ground and stabbed him in the back.”
Mario Saldana didn’t have life insurance and was the “sole provider” for his family so Perez could stay home to take care of her mother full time, according to a GoFundMe.
“Mario always had an optimistic attitude toward life and lived life to the fullest. He loved to joke around and lift people’s spirits. And I know that he loved all of us dearly,” it read.
David Saldana was arrested on a charge of murder, and his bond is set at $500,000, jail records show.
This story was originally published August 20, 2025 at 12:39 PM with the headline "Husband killed trying to break up brawl on night out with wife, Texas family says."