Travis County Jury Convicts Man of Murder
Travis County, TX — On Thursday, June 25, 2026, a Travis County jury convicted Carlos Maldonado-Martinez, 38, of Murder.
For Maldonado-Martinez’s trial, jury selection started on Monday, June 22, 2026, and the State began presenting evidence on the following day. On Thursday, June 25, 2026, the jury deliberated, found Maldonado-Martinez guilty of Murder, and sentenced him to serve 70 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
On June 12, 2024, the Austin Police Department arrested Maldonado-Martinez for the fatal shooting of Wilfredo Beneitez-Jimenez, 35, on May 22, 2024. On that date, Maldonado-Martinez and co-defendant Victor Maldonado-Villalobos shot Beneitez-Jimenez seven times while he was sitting in the living room of his apartment unit in north Austin. During their investigation, the Austin Police Department collected surveillance footage from various locations within the apartment building that tracked the suspects’ vehicle throughout the complex, captured video of three suspects outside the victim’s unit, and audio of the shooting. Additionally, APD linked the suspect vehicle to Maldonado-Martinez, who, upon arrest, confessed, identifying the other two suspects and admitting that he and Maldonado-Villalobos had planned to kill Beneitez-Jimenez.
On August 12, 2024, Carlos Maldonado-Martinez was indicted for the offense of Murder.
The murder trial for Victor Maldonado-Villalobos is scheduled for September 2026.
Assistant District Attorneys Kate Hall, Konnor Rodriguez, and Rawleigh Harris presented the case against Maldonado-Martinez with the support of Victim Counselors Ashlie Jones and Erika Martinez-Flores, Investigator Mike Henderson, Paralegal Hannah Joy, and Legal Secretary Chardell Johnson. Austin Police Department Detective Manuel Hernandez investigated the case against Maldonado-Martinez.
“Our office hopes this conviction honors the victim, whose life was tragically cut short, and that it continues to help his family heal,” said Travis County District Attorney José Garza. “We are grateful to our team and law enforcement partners for their tireless work on this case, which ultimately delivered justice for the victim and his family.”
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