(San Benito News/Ray Quiroga)
By RAY QUIROGA
publisher@sbnewspaper.com
BROWNSVILLE, TX —The two men accused of killing San Benito Police Lt. Milton Resendez during a vehicular pursuit in mid-October of this year were formally indicted by a grand jury last week Wednesday at the Cameron County Courthouse.
On Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, Mexican national Rodrigo Axel Espinosa Valdez, 23, and 18-year-old Rogelio Martinez Jr. an American citizen from the Brownsville Southmost area, were indicted by a Cameron County grand jury accused of firing at San Benito Police Lt. Milton Resendez’s patrol unit, hitting Resendez in the abdomen. Resendez succumbed to his injuries following the shooting.
The chase originated at South Padre Island earlier that late afternoon when a traffic stop was conducted on a GMC truck that was speeding on the beach.
The driver — identified as Espinosa Valdez in the indictment — fled from the scene, and gunfire was allegedly exchanged between the suspects in the truck and responding officers when it reached the Brownsville area.
Hours later, the suspects eventually were traveling southbound on Sam Houston Boulevard in San Benito when Resendez joined the pursuit.
Both men were indicted on charges of Capital Murder of a Peace Officer, two charges of Evading Arrest, and six counts of Attempt to Commit Capital Murder of a Peace Officer for allegedly firing at other officers, according to the indictment.
Capital Murder of a Peace Officer or Fireman is punishable by death in the state of Texas.
Martinez faces an additional charge of possessing an unregistered machine gun, and Espinosa Valdez faces two additional charges of evading arrest. Espinosa Valdez and Martinez remain jailed on bonds of $2 million each.
On the evening of Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, area law enforcement, friends and family of the fallen officer, and the public, in general, gathered at San Benito’s Heavin Park Pavilion to pay homage to Resendez during a vigil. The remembrance concluded with a mile walk around the Resaca trail led by Resendez’s widow, Melissa.
Among those on hand was Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz, who said that he’s taking Resendez’s killing, “very personally,” having known the family for years. Melissa Resendez is a Cameron County Probation Officer.
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