Texas Man Paid Two Assassins With Cash and a Truck to Kill Ex-Wife Over Piling Child Support Debt

A man accused in a murder-for-hire plot targeting his ex-wife has pleaded guilty in Brownsville, Texas. Jonathan Xavier Roman Martinez, who faced charges of capital murder, admitted to a lesser charge of murder in exchange for a 50-year prison sentence.

Prosecutors revealed that Martinez was hired by Jose "Pepe" Arnoldo Rodriguez Martinez to kill Rodriguez's ex-wife, Adela Gonzalez Martinez, in November 2020. 39-year-old Adela was found shot in the head at her apartment on Dana Avenue after police responded to a welfare check.

According to authorities, Rodriguez orchestrated the murder to avoid paying tens of thousands of dollars in child support owed to Adela. Rodriguez allegedly offered Martinez and another man, Charley Carrillo Torres, a combination of cash and a truck as payment for the killing.

Martinez was on trial for capital murder and burglary with intent to commit a felony when he agreed to the plea deal last week. The other man, 37-year-old Charley Carillo Torres, pleaded guilty in September to his role in the plot and had agreed to testify against his accomplice.

Martinez's plea agreement allows him to avoid a potential life sentence, but prosecutors maintain that all those involved will face significant legal consequences. The focus now shifts to Rodriguez's upcoming proceedings which are scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on December 3.