From left, Nallely Ruby Belmares, Josias Hernandez and Juan Duenes during their arraignment on capital murder at the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Facility on Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Edinburg. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])
A 21-year-old Edinburg man entered a not guilty plea to accusations that he and three other people kidnapped and killed a 37-year-old man whose body was found inside a burning vehicle in March.
Jorge Arredondo appeared for his arraignment Monday, court records indicate.
A grand jury indicted Arredondo and 27-year-old Nallely Ruby Belmares, 19-year-old Josias Hernandez and 18-year-old Juan Duenes, all Edinburg residents, on June 14 on a charge of capital murder.
They are accused of killing Teodoro Martinez, who was found in a burning car on March 25 near Val Verde Road and Mile 22 1/2 Road.
The arrests followed an investigation by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office following the report of a kidnapping at 12:23 a.m. that day at Mile 22 1/2 and Sunflower Road in rural Edinburg and the discovery of a burning SUV shortly thereafter, according to a news release.
Investigators traced the burning vehicle, a red GMC Envoy, to its last known owners, who told authorities that several days before the incident that they traded their vehicle to a woman who was with a man who said they were “going to make the vehicle disappear.”
Jorge Arredondo
During the investigation, authorities obtained Arredondo’s phone records which revealed he was involved in the vehicle trade, and investigators uncovered video of Arredondo driving by Martinez’s residence and pointing it out to an unknown person, according to the release.
The sheriff’s office previously said three masked and armed men assisted Arredondo in the kidnapping.
Martinez died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the sheriff’s office.
Hernandez, Belmares and Duenes are scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on Thursday afternoon.
All four suspects remain jailed in the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on $2 million bonds, records show.
