Pasadena crime: Bail denied for Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez in death of Maria Gonzalez
Pasadena, Texas - Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez, 18, appeared in court for the first time on Thursday. He is accused of sexually assaulting and murdering 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez on August 12.
Pasadena crime: Illegal migrant arrested and charged with sexual assault, murder of 11-year-old girl
Police in Louisiana located 18-year-old Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez over the weekend and arrested him for capital murder. He was extradited to Pasadena on Wednesday.
Bail was denied for Garcia-Rodriguez in the case. According to prosecutors, he came in voluntarily, denied being involved then admitted being involved saying he was forced at gunpoint by two Black males to commit the sexual assault.
According to court documents, on the morning of the murder Maria's father, Carmelo, heard the male suspect in the stairwell on the phone when he left for work. Maria was taking out the trash and told her dad it was "the long-haired neighbor" talking on the phone so, he proceeded to leave for work.
Around 10:02 a.m., Carmelo got a WhatsApp app message from Maria stating that someone was knocking on the door, so he sent family to look for her.
When he came home around 2:30 p.m., he found Maria's body in a black trash bag in a white hamper wrapped in another trash bag. Her body had blunt force trauma to the head and neck.
Carmelo found a silver key on the floor.
After police came and spoke to neighbors, the roommates of the suspect said he had a new job and was moving but refused to give back the key.
The roommate changed the locks. When police came to check the key that was found at the crime scene, the roommate handed over the old lock and the two roommates turned over their keys which matched the old lock.
Rodriguez had reportedly been drinking until the early morning hours of the day of the murder.
When he turned himself into police, he denied being at the crime scene and said he was with friends, but friends did not corroborate his story.
His apartment is also the only one that shares a stairwell with Maria’s.
According to prosecutors, he came in voluntarily, denied being involved then admitted being involved saying he was forced at gunpoint by two Black males to commit the sexual assault.
Garcia-Rodriguez illegally crossed into the United States earlier this year from Guatemala. It’s believed he had been waiting for a court date, but was allowed to stay in the U.S. through a sponsor in Louisiana.