SAN BENITO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — One of the suspects in the killing of San Benito Police Lt. Milton Resendez has plead guilty.

Rodrigo Axel Espinosa Valdez pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of murder Tuesday, according to Cameron County records. Espinosa Valdez faces a charge of capital murder of a peace officer, six counts of attempted murder and two counts of evading arrest detention with a vehicle.

Espinosa Valdez is joined on an affidavit by Rogelio Martinez Jr., who was the front passenger in the Oct. 17, 2023, pursuit that allegedly fired at a DPS trooper, the deputy constable and murdered Lt. Resendez, documents obtained by ValleyCentral stated.

Lt. Milton Resendez (City of San Benito)

Martinez is charged with capital murder of a peace officer, six counts of attempt to commit capital murder of a peace officer and possession of a prohibited weapon.

The state of Texas is seeking the death penalty for Martinez. He is scheduled for a jury trial Jan. 26, 2026.

Left: Rogelio Martinez Jr. Right: Rodrigo Axel Espinosa-Valdez

The state of Texas is not seeking the death penalty for Espinosa Valdez.

In 2023, ValleyCentral obtained the arrest warrants for both individuals, which provided information on the Oct. 17 pursuit, shooting, and subsequent arrests. Authorities said there were two pursuits that fatal day.

First pursuit

As previously reported by ValleyCentral, on Oct. 17, 2023, a Texas Ranger responded to a shooting near the intersection of Greystone and Vermillion Avenue in Brownsville. Around the same time, a Cameron County Park Police Officer conducted a traffic stop on a red GMC Sierra truck.

The driver identified himself as Martinez and “engaged in a struggle” with the officer near the back of the vehicle. While this was happening, the front passenger, identified as Espinosa Valdez, jumped into the driver’s seat and drove away from the scene.

Martinez dove into the bed of the truck as his partner drove away, the affidavit stated.

Shortly after, a Cameron County Precinct 1 deputy constable began chasing the vehicle. At this point, officers were advised that Martinez had pulled out a handgun and began shooting at the patrol unit. The deputy constable pulled out his weapon and returned fire, the document states.

However, Martinez pulled out a rifle and began shooting at authorities before driving down a small roadway and stopping to let out two women carrying children.

Espinosa Valdez, who was driving the GMC, continued to drive away from authorities.

Second pursuit

As investigators attempted to ping Martinez’s phone to locate him, they were notified that there was another pursuit with a different vehicle, suspected to be occupied by Martinez and Espinosa Valdez.

San Benito police responded to the chase when the new vehicle entered their jurisdiction. In this pursuit, multiple officers reported the front passenger was again shooting at officers.

It was then that Lt. Resendez had been shot by the front passenger in the fleeing vehicle. He was transported to a hospital where he died from a single gunshot wound.

No San Benito officers fired back. Martinez and Espinosa Valdez continued driving south to Brownsville, where a DPS trooper shot out one of their tires and they were finally arrested after briefly trying to run away on foot.

Investigators interviewed Martinez, who confessed he was the front passenger who fired at a DPS trooper, the deputy constable and murdered Lt. Resendez, the warrant stated.

Espinosa Valdez remains jailed at the Cameron County Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center on a $2 million bond. Martinez also remains jailed without bond.

Martinez is scheduled to appear in court before his trial on Nov. 12 for a motion hearing.

_{Steven Masso's previous coverage contributed to this report.}