Known Barrio Azteca member found not guilty on murder charge in double slaying trial
UPDATE: Luis Rodriguez was found not guilty Friday on a Capital Murder charge in connection with a 2012 double homicide. He was found guilty on a lesser charge of Participating in an Organized Criminal Activity.
Rodriguez faces a possibility of 25 years to life on the lesser charge.
The jury will not be sequestered. The sentencing phase of the trial is scheduled to begin Monday.
ORIGINAL: Jurors began deliberating Thursday in the case of a man accused of killing two others in 2012.
Luis Rodriguez is charged with one count of capital murder for the killings of 32-year-old Luis Antonio Fierro and 19-year-old Roberto Renteria. Both victims were found dead near a canal in Socorro in August of 2012. The shooting is allegedly linked to the Barrio Azteca gang.
The trial began Tuesday with Judge William Moody presiding.
Wednesday, one of the crime scene technicians presented jurors photos showing the two victims on the side of the canal, each shot multiple times in the head and torso. Each was shot by .22 Caliber and 9 millimeter bullets. The shell casings could be seen spread around the bodies.
Another witness detailed how bullet fragments were pulled from throughout the victims’ heads, chests, and vital organs during the autopsies.
Earlier in the week, an El Paso Police Gang Unit Detective testified for the prosecution, explaining how Rodriguez allegedly found himself in a position as a sergeant for the Barrio Azteca gang, in charge of money and transfers across the El Paso area.
The prosecution focused on the interactions between Rodriguez and the victims, while the defense argued that it was a high-level decision to green light, or order, the execution.
Investigators claim an argument over leadership in the Barrio Azteca gang led to the killings.
Rodriguez was arrested with two others in connection with the double homicide. They are Eddie Noriega and Juan Cornejo. All three are Barrio Azteca members according to court documents.
