Smiling sister accused of stabbing mother-of-five to death in brutal broad daylight attack is set free on $2million bail

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1h ago

By JACK TOLEDO 05:25 09 Oct 2026, updated 05:59 09 Oct 2026

A Texas teen accused of stabbing a mother of five to death in broad daylight was freed from jail after posting a $2 million bond.

Amaya ‘Cookie’ Diaz, 19, along with her sister, Kitty Mia Diaz, 21, and their friend, Kyandra Renee Faz, 21, were accused of murdering 32-year-old Caroline ‘Caro’ Peña on June 25.

All three were arrested shortly after the butchering, but Cookie, who allegedly wielded the knife, was released from the Val Verde County Correctional Facility in Del Rio on Tuesday.

The Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office and Correctional Facility confirmed to the New York Post that the Diaz family paid $200,000 to secure the teen’s $2 million bond, while her older sister remains behind bars.

Typically, bail bond companies charge around 10 percent of the total bond amount to secure a defendant’s release.

However, the specific details surrounding the teen’s bond posting ‘are confidential only between the family who requested it,’ a representative from El Amigo Bonding told the Post.

The representative also suggested there were ‘problems already.’

‘We know that when someone gets killed, problems will happen. And it’s already happening, so [the Diaz family] has to lie low,’ the employee said.

‘But we know that justice will prevail. Justice always prevails,’ he added.

The Diaz sisters have yet to enter pleas to their murder and tampering with evidence charges, while Faz has pleaded not guilty.

They were taken into custody on the same day of the slaying, however, Kitty and Amaya decided to take a shower before they were placed in cuffs.

‘While speaking with Kitty and Amaya, it was observed that they were no longer wearing the clothing originally seen on the video footage, and they had recently showered, as their hair was wet,’ police claimed in the complaint.

Footage of the trio’s arrest showed the suspects smiling in their new outfits.

Amaya also smiled and smirked as she was led away by police.

While the reason Pena met up with her attackers at a home on the 800 block of E. 10th Street remains unclear, the victim’s uncle has revealed that the women all knew each other.

‘It’s a small town. I knew one of their uncles. Their family, everyone has a connection, so it’s even harder. I worked with (the uncle) 30 years. They were close to us. What can you do,’ the unnamed uncle said in a phone interview with the Daily Mail from Del Rio.

The uncle did not speculate on the motive behind the attack, however, police revealed the whole confrontation and killing was captured on video from cameras at Faz’s house.

‘Carolina was observed arriving at Kyandra’s residence and exiting a black Dodge pickup truck,’ the criminal complaint stated.

‘Shortly after, a black Chrysler 300 arrives on scene, to which Amaya and Kitty exit and confront Carolina. Within the video footage, Amaya is observed exiting the front passenger seat of the vehicle and approaching Carolina.’

Amaya allegedly arrived with a knife in her hand.

‘Within the video footage, Amaya is observed with an object believed to be a knife in her right hand. Amaya and Carolina get into an altercation, and Amaya is observed striking Carolina in the back, where blood can be observed on the back of her shirt,’ the complaint reads.

Kitty and Faz then allegedly joined in the assault before all four women separated and left.

Peña was taken to a local hospital before being transferred to a hospital in San Antonio due to the severity of her wounds.

She died hours later, leaving behind five children, ages three to 16.

Two of Peña’s children are autistic and are being cared for by relatives following their mother’s death.

A photograph taken of the women after the attack was posted on a local Facebook page before later being removed.

The image shows Pena’s white top covered in blood.

Zelina Ochoa, the victim’s friend, said the image was especially difficult to process because she believes it illustrated the imbalance between the alleged attackers and the victim.

‘It’s a very powerful picture because it shows, you know, these three girls showed up with their weapons and Caro showed up with nothing but her hands,’ Ochoa said.

Cookie’s arraignment is scheduled for November 4 after previously appearing in court to have her bond lowered from $5 million to $2 million. Her sister’s bail was lowered as well and has not had her next court date scheduled yet.

Faz is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on December 11 and remains in custody on $5.2 million bond.

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