Gonzalez’s Confession Presented To Jurors

EL PASO – Jurorsin the trial of Francisco Gonzales on Tuesday heard the suspect’s confessionto the murder of 57-year-old Celia Rico.

Gonzales allegedly killed Rico by shooting her and then dumped her body in a canal back in 2006. At the time, he was renting an apartment at Rico’s property.

The confession was displayed for all jurors to view as the investigating detective with the sheriff’s office read it aloud. The confession was taken by Detective Pete Escajada on July 1st, 2006 – nearly three weeks after Rico was killed.

In it, Gonzalesexplained the reason he killedRico was because she threatened him if he did not give her prize money from a local casino. “She used this against me by saying if i did not give her the money, she would have me placed in jail for breaking parole,” he said in the confession. “When she mentioned to me that she would put me back in jail,I became very angry at her threat.”

According to the confession – after repeated threats – Gonzalez drove Rico towards Las Cruces and then turned around and drove towards Anthony, Texas. It was then that he pulled out a 22-caliber gun from his trunk and asked Rico to meet him behind the car, Gonzalez saidin the confession.

“I believeI shot her between the eye and the nose on the first shot,” Gonzales’ confession read. “She then fell to the ground face up, at which time I shot her a second time, aiming at her face.”

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By Ashlie Hardway, and edited for KVIA.com by Joe Villasana