EDINBURG — A man who allegedly ordered the deaths of four women for testifying against him in court nearly two decades ago was arraigned here Sunday afternoon.
Jesus Carlos Rodriguez, 43, was charged with two capital felonies — capital murder of multiple persons and engaging in organized criminal activities — and two counts of attempted murder by Justice of the Peace Juan Jose Pena Jr.
The charges stem from a case nearly 20 years old.
On Sept. 5, 2002, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office responded to a capital murder call south of Business Highway 83 on Valley View Road in Donna.
When deputies arrived at the scene, four women were found dead inside a car — all suffered multiple gunshot wounds, according to a sheriff’s news release issued Sunday.
The women were identified as Maria De La Luz Covarrubias Bazaldua, Danitzene Lizeth Vasquez Beltran, Celina Linares Sanchez and Lourdes Yesenia Araujo Torres.
As a result of the investigation, sheriff’s investigators identified the shooters to be members of a street gang, which led to several arrests.
Though he was in prison at the time, investigators also learned Rodriguez allegedly ordered the deaths of the four women as retaliation for testifying against him in court.
On Friday, Rodriguez was released from Jefferson County State Prison and transported to the Hidalgo County Detention Center.
With both capital murder charges at $1 million each and $500,000 for each count of attempted murder, Rodriguez’s total bond is $3 million.
Anyone with information regarding the case is urged to contact the sheriff’s office at (956) 383-8114. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact the county’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at (956) 668-TIPS (8477) or submit an anonymous tip through the smartphone app P3 TIPS.
