Durham, North Carolina man held without bond, charged in machete attack on family members

DURHAM, North Carolina — A man accused of killing his father appeared in a Durham County courtroom on Thursday, where a judge ordered him to be held without bond.

Arrest and charges

Police said Yael Reyes-Rubio murdered his father, Hugo Reyes, and attacked his wife, Bianca Rios, with a machete at their shared home on Old Oxford Road, near North Roxboro Street, just before 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

A few of the suspect's family members were in the courtroom on Thursday to show their support.

Property records show Hugo Reyes owned the home where the attack happened.

Charges and court proceedings

Reyes-Rubio, 24, is charged with of first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and inflict serious injury.

WRAL News was in the courtroom for Reyes-Rubio's 11 a.m. court appearance on Thursday.

He had an interpreter as the prosecutor read the charges against him.

The attorney for Reyes-Rubio said the defendant does not have any significant criminal history. He did face a DWI in Wake County in 2021.