A Cameron County jury pool has been picked at for five weeks now. It is for the capital murder trial of Rogelio Martinez Jr. Capital murder is the most serious charge in Texas. It can mean life in prison with no parole. It can also mean death. Martinez was 18 when he was arrested. He is charged in the 2023 killing of San Benito Police Lieutenant Milton Resendez.

Jury picking started Aug. 11. About 450 people showed up for the jury pool. The Cameron County court clerk says a full jury could be seated by Friday, Sept. 18. That is only if all goes well. Death penalty cases take longer to pick a jury. Each juror gets asked alone about their views on the death penalty. That is why this pick has stretched into its fifth week.

The DA wants the death penalty for Martinez.

Resendez was 54 years old. He served the San Benito Police Department for 26 years. He was the first SBPD officer ever killed on the job. He left behind his wife, Melissa. They had been married 27 years.

Resendez died Oct. 17, 2023. That day started with a traffic stop on the beach. It happened at South Padre Island. Officers pulled over a truck for speeding. A passenger inside started the truck. He sped off. Two men, two women, and two small kids were riding inside. The women and kids got out. The truck kept running from police.

The truck's riders traded gunfire with officers. This happened as the chase moved into Brownsville. Officers stopped that truck there. But the suspects were not done. They got into an SUV. They ran again. A second chase followed. It went into the San Benito area.

A bullet tore through the door of Resendez's patrol car. It hit him in the stomach. It struck below his body armor. He died later at a hospital. The Texas Rangers looked into his death.

A grand jury charged Martinez in December 2023. He faces one count of capital murder of a peace officer. He also faces six counts tied to other officers he is accused of shooting at. Those officers survived. He faces two counts of evading arrest. He is also charged with having a machine gun that was not registered. After his arrest, Martinez was held on a $2 million bond.

A second man was also charged in the case. His name is Rodrigo Axel Espinosa Valdez. He was 23 when he was arrested. He is from Mexico. In 2025, Espinosa Valdez took a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to murder. That charge is less serious than capital murder. Court records set his sentencing for Aug. 24, 2026.

Martinez has pleaded not guilty to every charge. In July, a judge said no to a defense request. The defense wanted to block cell phone location proof. Martinez's lawyers said the tracking order broke his rights. The judge did not agree. That proof will stay in the trial.

This spring, state lawmakers honored Resendez. They renamed a stretch of State Highway 345 for him. It sits near Rio Hondo and San Benito. That spot is close to where he was shot. San Benito's mayor and a state judge spoke at the event.

Everyone is presumed innocent until proved otherwise.