By RAY QUIROGA
publisher@sbnewspaper.com
BROWNSVILLE—Rodrigo Axel Espinosa Valdez, the co-defendant in the 2023 shooting death of San Benito Police Lieutenant Milton Resendez, is scheduled to appear in court on November 30 for jury selection in the sentencing phase of his case.
Espinosa Valdez previously pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of murder in connection with Resendez’s death. He could face up to 99 years in prison.
Espinosa Valdez was 23 at the time of his arrest following the shooting.
Rogelio Martinez, Jr., the convicted triggerman during the incident, was sentenced to death two weeks after a jury found Martinez, Jr. guilty of Capital Murder.
Previously, it took a Cameron County jury only three and a half hours to find Martinez, Jr. guilty of Capital Murder after the state and defense concluded their closing arguments.
Martinez returned to the courtroom on Monday, October 19, for sentencing, with life in prison or the death penalty as options.
Martinez, of Brownsville, had pleaded not guilty to the charge of firing the fatal shot that killed Resendez during a pursuit that began on South Padre Island.
The case stems from an October 17, 2023, incident that began when a Cameron County Parks officer stopped a pickup truck for allegedly speeding on the beach at South Padre Island. Authorities say the vehicle fled, prompting a pursuit through Port Isabel and into Brownsville.
Several hours later, authorities located the suspects in a second vehicle, triggering a second pursuit that eventually reached San Benito.
Resendez joined the pursuit and was struck by gunfire that entered his patrol vehicle on the driver’s side. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Martinez faced charges that included capital murder of a peace officer, along with six counts of attempted capital murder of a peace officer and two counts of evading arrest. He was 18 at the time of the shooting.
Resendez was 54 when he died and had spent decades in law enforcement. He was the first San Benito police officer killed in the line of duty.
Martinez was on probation for theft at the time, prompting him to flee and fire on law enforcement. He later showed police where the firearms involved in the shooting were discarded.
Resendez graduated from San Benito High School in 1987 and attended Rangerville Elementary and Miller Jordan and Berta Cabaza middle schools.
He later attended Texas Southmost College and the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council Police Academy. Before joining the SBPD, Resendez served with the Brownsville, Palm Valley, and San Benito CISD Police Departments.
In total, he served more than 30 years in law enforcement.
He’s survived by his wife, Melissa, whom he met while attending Texas Southmost College, as well as by his siblings and numerous nieces and nephews.
According to his obituary, he and Melissa were married for 27 years when he died.