A 19-year-old American woman accused of fatally stabbing a mother of five in Texas has been released from custody after her family reportedly secured her bail with a $2 million bond.
Amaya “Cookie” Diaz was released from the Val Verde County Correctional Facility on Tuesday, October 6, after her bond was reduced from $5 million to $2 million.
She is accused of killing 32-year-old Caroline “Caro” Peña during a confrontation in Del Rio, Texas, on June 25, 2026. Diaz’s older sister, 21-year-old Kitty Mia Diaz, and their friend, Kyandra Renee Faz, 21, have also been charged in connection with the incident.
According to investigators, surveillance footage allegedly showed Amaya approaching Peña with an object believed to be a knife before striking her in the back. Police allege that the other two women subsequently joined the confrontation. Peña was rushed to hospital but died from her injuries hours later, leaving behind five children aged between three and 16.
The three suspects were arrested on the day of the incident. Police also alleged that the Diaz sisters had changed their clothes and showered before officers took them into custody. Videos of the sisters smiling during their arrests subsequently circulated online, attracting widespread public attention.
According to reports, the Diaz family paid $200,000 to secure Amaya’s release under the reduced bond arrangement. Her sister Kitty’s bond was also reduced to $2 million, but she remains in custody, while Faz is being held on a separate bond.
Amaya is expected to appear in court for her arraignment on November 4. The charges against the defendants remain pending, and the case is ongoing. Authorities have not publicly established the motive behind the fatal confrontation.
