This is an update to a story El Tejano first reported on September 15, 2026.
A jury has been picked. It will hear the trial of the man accused of killing a San Benito cop. Twelve jurors and three backups were picked. The trial for Rogelio Martinez Jr. starts October 5.
Martinez faces a capital murder charge. That is the worst murder charge in Texas. It can mean life in prison. It can also mean death. The Cameron County District Attorney's Office wants the death penalty for him.
Martinez is accused of killing Lt. Milton Resendez. Resendez had been a police officer for 27 years. He was shot and killed on October 17, 2023. It happened during a chase that began at South Padre Island.
Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz told how the chase began. A park cop stopped a red GMC pickup on the beach. It was going too fast. This was around 4:30 p.m. Two men, a woman, and two kids were inside the truck.
The cop talked to the driver. Then the man in the passenger seat jumped over. He took the wheel and drove off fast. The first driver jumped in the truck bed as it pulled away.
Cops later saw the truck in Port Isabel. They chased it into Brownsville but lost it. Cops later found the truck. The woman and two kids were still inside. Cops kept looking for the two men.
Around 10:30 p.m., cops found the men. They were in a black Ford Expedition in Brownsville. Cops chased the SUV into San Benito. During the chase, the men shot at the cops, Saenz said.
Two bullets hit Resendez's patrol car. One bullet went through the front bumper. The other bullet hit the driver's door. It then hit Resendez in the stomach.
Cops stopped the SUV in Brownsville. They arrested both men.
Court records show something else. Co-defendant Rodrigo Axel Espinosa Valdez already pleaded guilty last year. He took a deal for a lower murder charge.
Read El Tejano's first story on the five week jury pick here: https://www.eltejanorgv.com/jury-selection-reaches-week-5-in-san-benito-officer-killing-trial/
Everyone is presumed innocent until proved otherwise.
