Edinburg man pleads guilty to capital murder in deadly kidnapping

HIDALGO COUNTY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — An Edinburg man pleaded guilty last week for his role in a deadly 2022 kidnapping.

_{Jorge Arredondo (Hidalgo County Jail)}

Jorge Arredondo is facing a charge of capital murder by terror threat/other felony. At a status hearing on Friday, Arredondo pleaded guilty to the charge and sentencing was scheduled for Monday.

Arredondo was the first of four suspects arrested in connection to the death of 37-year-old Teodoro Martinez, whose body was inside a burning vehicle on March 25, 2022.

According to previous ValleyCentral reports, investigators determined that four masked men entered Martinez's home and forcibly took him away. He was killed and his body was found in a burnt GMC Envoy near Mile 22 1/2 and Val Verde Road.

An autopsy revealed that he died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds.

_{Jorge Arredondo was arrested following a traffic stop. (Photo via Sheriff Eddie Guerra)}

Investigators identified Arredondo as a suspect after phone records revealed he communicated with another person in a trade of the vehicle. He was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force during a traffic stop two weeks later.

Following his arrest, the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of three other suspects; Nallely Belmares, Josias Hernandez and Juan Duenes. They were each charged with capital murder.

_{Three additional arrests on the ongoing capital murder investigation of a 37-year-old man. (Photos via Sheriff Eddie Guerra)}

Authorities said two additional capital murder arrest warrants were issued, for Aracely Arredondo and Hector Manuel Gonzalez. Jail records show that the two are still pending arrests.

(HCSO)

Belmares has a pre-trial hearing scheduled for Sept. 9. Hernandez and Duenes have hearings scheduled for Sept. 11.

The State announced in December 2022 that it would not be seeking the death penalty in Arredondo's case.