Edinburg resident gets 15 years for murder of man found in burning vehicle
A 22-year-old Edinburg man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Thursday for the death of a 37-year-old man who was kidnapped and found dead in a burning vehicle.
Juan Duenes pleaded guilty to murder for the killing of Teodoro Martinez on March 25, 2022, court records show.
He had been charged with capital murder, but reached a deal with prosecutors. He’ll receive credit for the approximately 3 1/2 years he’s spent in the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center awaiting the resolution of the case.
Duenes is the third suspect to plead guilty to murder in the case. Edinburg residents Josias Hernandez, 22, and Jorge Arredondo, 24, also reached deals with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of murder.
Hernandez was sentenced to 25 years in prison and is eligible for parole in 2034 while Arredondo was sentenced to 40 years and is eligible for parole in 2042, court and Texas Department of Criminal Justice records show.
The fourth suspect, 30-year-old Edinburg resident Nallely Belmares, has pleaded not guilty to capital murder and is scheduled for a jury trial on Sept. 8. She remains held in the county jail on a $1 million bond.
Martinez’s body was found after sheriff’s deputies responded to a kidnapping call and found him in a burning vehicle near Val Verde Road and Mile 22 1/2 Road.
That vehicle was a red GMC Envoy, which investigators tracked to its last known owners, the sheriff’s office said previously. The owners told authorities that several days before the incident they traded the vehicle with a woman who was accompanied by a man who said they were “going to make the vehicle disappear.”
As the investigation developed, authorities obtained Arredondo’s phone records, which revealed he was involved in the trade. Investigators also uncovered video of Arredondo driving by Martinez’s residence and pointing it out to an unknown person, according to a previous news release.
An autopsy revealed Martinez died from multiple gunshot wounds.
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