The third person involved in the murder of a 23-year-old Mission man who was found with a gunshot wound to the face in an orchard days after his death was sentenced to prison Tuesday, court records show.
Julio Cesar Deleon, 29, was sentenced to 46 years in state jail with over three years in credit for the murder of Fernando Garcia Jr. who was shot and killed in July of 2019.
Deleon initially faced a capital murder charge but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of murder.
He faced additional charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and two drug possession charges, which were dismissed as part of his plea.
Police believe that Deleon shot and killed Garza on July 24, 2019, which is a few days prior to his arrest along with his co-defendant, Edna Rivera Cantu, 31. She has pleaded not guilty.
Garza was found in an orchard between Mile 11 and 12 on Iowa Road.
The investigation into Garza’s disappearance began when his mother, Blanca Yadira Herrera, called police because she had not been able to locate Garza since June 23, 2019.
According to the probable cause affidavit, a man named Luis Domingo Dominguez told investigators that Deleon, along with Alfredo Huerta, 23, kidnapped and bound him and Garza at gunpoint from Rivera’s house located on 8608 Marivel Ortiz St.
Huerta pleaded guilty to murder in October and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
The affidavit also states that after they shot and killed Garza, Dominguez was taken to a separate location by Huerta and Deleon where the vehicle used was left behind.
In addition, the affidavit said that while the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office was searching for Garza, his father, Fernando Garza Sr., encountered Huerta and Dominguez while looking for his son who was only considered missing at the time.
Huerta told the father that he, Garza and Dominguez had been kidnapped and that Deleon had shot and killed his son but that he and Dominguez managed to escape, according to the document.
After her arrest, Rivera admitted to investigators that she helped bind the hands of Garza and the other man, according to the affidavit.
Rivera is scheduled to appear before state District Judge Israel Ramon Jr. for her status hearing in late March.
