Man accused in triple murder pleads guilty, avoids death penalty

The man accused of murdering his ex-wife, her 13-year-old daughter and his ex-wife’s new boyfriend in 2012 pleaded guilty and will serve life in prison without parole.

A plea hearing for Luis Solis-Gonzalez took place Thursday morning in the 243rd District Court.

Judge Luis Aguilar asked Solis if he pleaded guilty, and in Spanish, Solis responded, “Yes,” adding that he read the deal and contract, and understood the terms.

Aguilar then sentenced Solis to life in prison without parole.

Solis had faced the death penalty, which lead to the case being dragged out from the day the bodies of 13-year-old Cassaundra Holt; Holt’s mother, Marysol Saldivar, the suspect’s ex-wife; and Saldivar’s boyfriend, Eric De Santiago, were discovered in an East El Paso home on May 31, 2012.

ABC-7 reported on the delays in bringing the case to trial in 2016.

After the sentence was issued, the father of Cassaundra Holt spoke about his daughter. He quoted the Bible, and then turned to what he described as a “life-changing” moment in 2012.

“Not only are you a killer, a murderer and a devil — I’m not going to tell you that I hate you because hate is what got us right here — you didn’t think about the consequences of what you did,” he said. “You didn’t think about your own son, and what you took away from him.”

Court documents stated that the slayings happened in front of the 4-year-old son that Solis shared with Saldivar. The bodies of all three victims were found inside an east El Paso home on May 31, 2012. Solis was arrested days later after surrendering himself at the Paso Del Norte bridge.

“You stole so many things from me: graduations, parties and family,” Holt’s father continued. “My daughter was my best friend.”

During the testimonials, Solis sat with his head down, avoiding looking at the family members of his victims.

Solis’ attorney Joe Spencer told the media that the public should know that his client will spend the remainder of his life in prison, and will only leave in a casket, “whenever God decides.”

ABC-7 also spoke with the father of the youngest victim, Cassaundra Holt.

Raymond Holt says his daughter had dreams of being a beautician.

He says it’s taken him some time, but that he forgives Gonzalez and that he never wanted the death penalty.

“That’s the easy way out,” Holt said. “Nah, sit in there and think about what you did because you’re going to think about it a lot.”

At Thursday’s hearing during victim impact statements, Holt told Gonzalez directly that he forgave him.

But that wasn’t all he told Gonzalez.

“I told him that I loved him because that was the right thing to do,” Holt said. “Do i hate him? No, but do I hate the situation? Yes. It could have played out totally different, if he would have just walked away.”

Spencer and prosecutors attempted to enter a plea bargain last week. However, 243rd District Judge Luis Aguilar denied the plea, saying that his docket listed the hearing as a status, not a plea hearing.