BROWNSVILLE —A Cameron County grand jury Wednesday indicted five men including a U.S. Border Patrol agent on charges of capital murder in connection with the killing of a Honduran man whose decapitated body was found floating in the Laguna Madre last March.
The office of the Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz made the announcement yesterday afternoon.
In June, investigators said Honduran native Jose Francisco “Franklin” Rodriguez Palacios Paz was killed, likely in Edinburg. Four men were arrested and charged in connection with the killing of Palacios Paz, whose decapitated body was found March 16 in the Laguna Madre.
The four men were identified as Fernando Luna Rodriguez, 35; Aaron Rodriguez Medellin, 22; Eduardo Luna Rodriguez, 24; and Nestor Manuel Leal, 18. U.S. Border Patrol agent Joel Luna was arrested in November.
The five men were charged with capital murder for retaliation, first-degree murder and two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity, a first-degree felony. According to the DA’s office, Joel Luna has been placed on indefinite leave from the Border Patrol.
