The two suspects were identified as Mexican nationals Gustavo Tijerina, 30, of La Villa, Texas, and Ismael Hernandez, 40, of Weslaco, Texas. The suspects have confessed to the crime and the two will ”face charges of capital murder, attempted capital murder, four counts of aggravated robbery and tampering with evidence.” Off-duty Border Patrol agent Javier Vega, Jr. begged his father to “keep shooting, dad,” while the agent’s mother picked up a rifle and shot at the fleeing suspects as well. The Hispanic suspects were apprehended five hours after the shooting, hiding in a shed behind the home of a man living in the area. The suspects had made several passes along the road by the water when they spotted the group, and approached the victims and told them to get on the ground. The suspects were surprised when they discovered that the off-duty agent and his father were armed. ”The Border Patrol agent apparently kept telling his dad to ‘keep firing, dad, keep shooting, dad’ at the suspects after he was already hit.” At some point, the agent’s mother “apparently picked up the AR-15 rifle and continued shooting at the suspects’ vehicle, hitting the windshield and other parts of the vehicle as the suspects fled.”
were arraigned on 8/5/14 inside the Willacy County jail library. At 12:45 p.m. the first suspect, Tijerina appeared before Judge Solis. As Tejerina was being walked out he asked if he could have a Bible from the Library. Hernandez was brought in approximately 1:10. After being told what he was being charged with he replied “I don’t understand why I’m being accused of so many things, he told the judge.They were ordered held without bail after being charged with capital murder of a peace officer, attempted murder four counts each of aggravated robbery and one count of tampering with evidence. Both had been arrested and deported numerous times and have been living in South Texas illegally. Tijerina was arrested at least four times for crossing into the U.S. illegally between 2007 and 2009, according to court records. Hernandez was arrested and deported at least twice. Tijerina also goes by the name of Tijerina Sandoval, pleaded guilty to entering the U.S. illegally on July 9, 2007. He was given a 30–day sentence with credit served and charged a $10 fee. Three months later on October 3, 2007 he was again found guilty of entering the country illegally and was sentenced to 60 days in jail and a $10 fee. A year later, on October 25, 2008, he again crossed into the U.S. and on November 18, 2008, he was given 90 days in jail and another $10 fee. On December 15, 2009, Tijerina was indicted by a grand jury on charges of entering the U.S. illegally again. The indictment says he “had previously been denied admission, excluded, deported and removed and unlawfully was present in the United States having been found near Edinburg, Texas.” Court records say he had not obtained consent from the U.S. attorney general and the secretary of homeland security to reapply for admission into the U.S. A warrant for his arrest said he faced up to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. He was held without bond on January 26, 2010 and was given nine months in jail and fined $100.
Judge Migdallia Lopez presented the verdict,sentencing Tijerina-Sandoval to death on 6/12/18 for the capital murder charge and life for attempted capital murde.
