Alamo man to be sentenced for murder of Weslaco doctor

WESLACO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — An Alamo man will serve 40 years in prison for the murder of a Weslaco doctor.

Joel Ismael Gonzalez pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge of murder in connection to the killing of 59-year-old John Dominguez, records show.

Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced to 40 years in state prison on May 13.

_{Joel Ismael Gonzalez (Hidalgo County DA's Office)}

On Nov. 7, 2019, Weslaco police responded to a major crash, which involved a shooting, at the 500 block of South Utah Avenue.

Surveillance footage showed that the suspects attempted to rob Dominguez before the collision, a news release from the Hidalgo County District Attorney's Office stated.

After an investigation, police arrested three men; Gonzalez, Luis Antonio Valenzuela and Josue Torres Benavidez.

It was determined that Gonzalez was the shooter during the robbery attempt, and that Dominguez suffered a gunshot wound to the left leg, as well as "multiple traumatic injuries" likely caused by the crash.

“Justice demands harsh consequences as the defendant’s actions directly contributed to Dr. Dominguez’s death and put many other innocent people in harm’s way,” said Hidalgo County District Attorney Toribio “Terry” Palacios. “I want to thank the Weslaco Police Department and other involved agencies for their hard work and tireless effort in resolving this case.”

Valenzuela has a trial scheduled on June 24, and Torres has a status hearing on May 22.