A Laredo man pleaded not guilty last month. The case is a 2024 murder. Roberto Alfonso Solis gave his plea on June 17. He was in the 111th District Court. Judge Jose Maldonado is running the case.

Solis is one of five people charged. Police say the group shot and killed Joaquin del Valle-Gonzalez. He was 36. Police say all five knew each other before the killing. The case dates back to 2024 and is now headed toward trial.

Solis faces two charges. The first is murder. In Texas, murder is a first-degree felony. A first-degree felony can mean 5 to 99 years, or life, in prison. The second charge is organized crime. That means police say Solis worked with a group to do the crime. That charge carries the same punishment. It is also 5 to 99 years, or life, in prison.

Police say someone shot del Valle-Gonzalez in the head. That happened on May 5, 2024. The shooting was in north Laredo. It was in the 6500 block of Springfield Avenue. It happened just after 5:30 p.m. Officers found him with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a Laredo hospital. Doctors later moved him to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. He died there on May 14, 2024. He was Laredo's second murder victim that year.

Police also charged four other people. They are Jose Orlando Turrubiates, Zelina Renea Solis, Christian Salinas and Yvonne Azeneth Garcia. All four face the same two charges as Solis.

Laredo police said the group knew each other before the shooting. "In general, these individuals were known to each other. Criminal actors engaged with one another, which led to the murder of the victim," police said in a statement. Solis was 30 years old when police arrested him in 2024. That is according to earlier news reports.

A not guilty plea does not mean Solis is cleared. It means he wants a trial. He does not want to take a deal. Now both sides will build their case. Prosecutors must prove Solis did it. They must prove it with no real doubt left. His lawyer can question the evidence. His lawyer can also question the witnesses.

A bond is money a defendant pays to get out of jail before trial. Solis's lawyers asked the judge to lower that amount. Judge Maldonado has not ruled on that request yet. For now, Solis stays in jail.

The court set jury selection for Nov. 16. That is the day lawyers pick 12 people. Those 12 people will decide the case. El Tejano will keep following this case as it moves toward trial.