Rodolfo Medrano—Latino, age 23

Sentenced to death in Hidalgo County, Texas

By: a jury

Date of crime: 1/5/03

Prosecution’s case/defense response:

Medrano was one of several persons charged with the drug-related robberies at two homes in which six victims were killed by gunshots—some of them so bullet-riddled that they were scarcely recognizable.  Medrano provided assault weapons used by fellow members of the Tri-City Bombers gang in the slayings (also sentenced to death arising was Humberto Garza—see 1st quarter).  Medrano was also indicted in the slaying of four women in September, 2002.  The slayings were allegedly ordered by the gang’s leader from prison to retaliate against a witness who had helped put him there—but it turned out that gang members attacked a carload of six women—killing four and wounding two—that did not contain the witness against whom the hit had been ordered.

Sources: APALERTTN 09:46:17 12/16/03, San Antonio Express-News 12/22/03 (2003 WLNR 16737519), AP Alert TX-21:26:14 11/26/08

Facts

This trial involved the gang-related, "pseudo-cop" robbery-homicide of six men, some of whom were rival gang members of the "Bombita" gang to which appellant belonged.

In the early morning hours of January 5, 2003, police responded to a 9-1-1 call and found the bodies of six men at 2915 East Monte Cristo Road in Edinburg. There were two houses on the property that were separated by a dirt driveway.

Police found the body of Jerry Hidalgo in the kitchen of the larger house that was located on the west side of the driveway (the "west-side house"). He was lying face down on the floor and his hands and legs were bound with extension cords. He had sustained numerous gunshot wounds, and there was a bullet hole in his back and blood around his head. The living room had been ransacked, and it appeared that someone had rummaged through one of the bedrooms, leaving the bed mattress standing on its side.

The body of Juan Delgado, III, was lying face down in the grass outside the front door of the smaller house on the east side of the driveway (the "east-side house"). He had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the back of his neck. There was a live 9-millimeter round in the grass near his body.

As they entered the house, police discovered the bodies of Juan Delgado, Jr., who had been shot in the back and head, and Jimmy Almendarez, who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, including a fatal head wound. Police also found a magazine clip underneath a stereo speaker.

The bodies of Ray Hidalgo and Ruben Castillo were in another room. Ray had sustained two gunshot wounds to the head and was missing an eye. Ruben had suffered multiple gunshot wounds including shots to the buttocks. Police also found a burnt marijuana cigarette and small baggies of marijuana and cocaine in that room. The "east-side house" had also been ransacked, and the victims' pockets had been pulled out.

Some of the ballistics evidence recovered from the scene included 7.62 by 39 caliber bullets and casings. Police also recovered a cooking pan and some black skull caps from the west-side house and a "cold weather knit cap" from the open field behind the houses. There were three cars parked at the scene: an inoperable dark-colored Dodge Ram that belonged to Rosie Gutierrez; a small maroon car that had been rented by Jimmy Almendarez; and a brown Buick Regal that belonged to Luis Villa.

Rosie Gutierrez was present during the shootings and called 9-1-1 after the assailants left the scene. She testified that she and her sons, Jerry and Ray Hidalgo, lived at 2915 East Monte Cristo Road, and that the Delgados, Almendarez, and Castillo were her sons' friends.

On the night of January 4, she played dominoes with her sons in the west-side house. Ray went to the east-side house with Delgado, Jr., at around midnight. Shortly thereafter, she and Jerry finished playing dominoes and went into the living room. Ms. Gutierrez suffered from a medical condition that affected her legs, so she laid down in a borrowed hospital bed she kept in the living room to watch television while Jerry talked on the phone with a friend. She heard loud booming noises that sounded like fireworks; then someone banged on her door, and three or four men entered her house.

The leader, a man who spoke Spanish and who had a long gun with holes in the barrel, pointed the gun at her head and told her to lie down and face the wall. He was wearing a ski mask and a jacket with the word "Police" on the sleeves and back. He ordered his cohorts to tie up Ms. Gutierrez and Jerry, and they used extension cords to do so. The man who tied up Ms. Gutierrez was unmasked and carried a smaller handgun. The other men who restrained Jerry were masked, and she was unsure if they had guns.

The leader demanded "drugs, money, gold and guns" and kept hitting Jerry in the head with his gun. Jerry responded that they did not have anything. "They" told Jerry to take off his gold necklace and asked for the car keys. Jerry answered that the car was "no good" and that they would get caught if they left in it. "The guy" pulled off Jerry's tennis shoes and asked if anyone wanted them. He then dropped the tennis shoes, stating, "Let's go," and they left.

Shortly thereafter, "a man with a ski mask" carrying a long gun and wearing a jacket with "Police" on it came back into the house and ransacked the living room. He left, came back inside, shot Jerry "a whole bunch of times," then left again. Ms. Gutierrez then untied herself and called 9-1-1.

Police later questioned Luis Villa, who was also present at the scene on the night of the shootings. Villa told police that he and Castillo took Delgado, Jr. to "Ray's house" at 9:30 p.m. Villa and Castillo then tried to go to a nightclub. Villa was denied entrance to the club because he did not have proper identification, so they returned to Ray's house at about 10:30 p.m. Delgado, III, came to the house with a friend about 12:30 a.m. Castillo went outside to use the bathroom, and Villa heard a voice tell Castillo: "Hey you mother fucker get your ass on the floor . . ." Delgado, Jr., said there were a lot of people with guns outside. Villa, who was seated on a sofa, heard some gunshots and jumped out the window. He told Delgado, Jr., to follow him, but he did not do so. As Villa ran away, he heard "two kinds of machine guns shooting at the same time."

Villa's friend Jose Carreon testified that he called Villa on his cell phone around 1:00 or 1:30 a.m. Villa, who was "scared, tired, [and] running," said that "they were shooting at him, and they shot his cousins." Carreon heard gunshots in the background. Carreon also lived near the scene and heard gunshots outside.

Police received information about a "pseudo-cop" robbery and took various suspects into custody. Police also discovered that suspect Rodolfo Medrano (a/k/a "Kreeper") had given his friend Miguel Tinajero some weapons to hide. Tinajero testified that on January 20, Medrano gave him a long case and said, "Take this and put it away." Tinajero later opened the case and saw three military-style rifles inside. Tinajero placed the weapons inside the trunk of a car at his father's residence in Elsa. When he opened the trunk, he saw that other weapons had already been placed inside.

He testified that Medrano had been to his father's residence before and knew where the car keys were kept. Tinajero notified police about the guns. Two of the guns, State's Exhibits 107 and 113, had apparent bloodstains and were submitted for DNA testing. The stain on the stock area of State's Exhibit 107 was inconclusive. The stain on the muzzle of State's Exhibit 113 was consistent with the DNA profile of victim Delgado, Jr.

Donna Murders

A deadly shooting spree in Donna early this morning leaves four women dead. The women were killed and another was seriously injured, ambushed as they arrived home. Authorities say it’s one of the worst homicides in valley history. Investigators swarmed an abandoned vehicle believed to be involved in the crime.

Firefighters and tow trucks were called to pull the vehicle out. Authorities are still looking for the suspects, they believe a man known only as “el negro,” and two other men used several assault rifles to kill the four women and wound a fifth.