Hearing reset for Rio Hondo man accused of killing Harlingen teen

A status hearing for a murder case against a Rio Hondo man accused of killing a Harlingen teen has been reset.

Jesus Saldana Ramirez
(Cameron County Sheriff’s Department)

Jesus Saldana Ramirez’s hearing was postponed to Feb. 2, 2022 before 107th state District Court Judge Benjamin Euresti Jr. The status hearing had been scheduled for Friday.

Ramirez is accused of killing Alexandra Castillo, 15, whose body was discovered May 17, 2020 on Bob Youker Road in Harlingen.

Castillo’s body was found lying next to the road with multiple lacerations to her body, Harlingen police said.

Ramirez was indicted on one count of murder, one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of tampering with physical evidence, court records state.

The Harlingen Police Department in a 2020 press release said that after conducting interviews and collecting forensic evidence, its Major Crimes Division and Texas Rangers were able to identify Ramirez as the suspect. Ramirez had fled to Mexico, but he later surrendered himself to authorities at the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville, authorities said.

Ramirez remains jailed at a Cameron County facility on a $2.1 million bond. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His trial is scheduled for April 25, 2022.