Suspected Illegal Immigrant and Serial Killer Arrested in Texas

U.S. Marshals and Texas State Police have detained a suspected illegal immigrant linked to multiple murders and shootings. Luis Fernando Benitez Gonzalez, 26, is connected to two strangulation deaths—Alyssa Ann Rivera, 34, from Austin, and Alba Genis Aviles Martí, 28, from Bastrop County—as well as two more recent shootings involving women who survived.

According to Austin Police Detective Chris Anderson, authorities believe Benitez may have been involved in further violent acts. He stated during a press conference that Benitez was arrested in the Dallas area on April 27, 2024, by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force.

The case has sparked outrage nationwide, with discussions around the need for stricter measures against immigrant-related violence. Benitez Gonzalez, who was voluntarily deported in 2020, has shown a disturbing pattern of targeting vulnerable women, as evidenced by his past statements and the ongoing investigations.

Benitez Gonzalez’s alleged activity stretches back to 2018 and continues into recent years, raising concerns among law enforcement. Anderson noted that individuals who commit such crimes typically have a clear method and don’t usually refrain from offending for extended periods.

Authorities discovered Rivera’s body on June 21, 2024, after a neighbor alerted them to a corpse in an abandoned home. Investigators determined she had been beaten and strangled. In the earlier case from 2018, Aviles Martí was found after being assaulted and strangled with a seatbelt in her car. Interestingly, her vehicle was spotted close to the later crime scene, just three miles apart.

While evidence linking the two cases was submitted to the FBI’s CODIS database, Benitez Gonzalez wasn’t identified until much later, which delayed his prosecution. The connection was made stronger when ballistic evidence from two survivor shootings linked back to him.

During questioning, Benitez Gonzalez confessed to the murders and attempted to frame his actions as self-defense, a claim that does not hold up against the gathered evidence, according to Anderson.

Currently, he is held without bail in the Travis County Jail, facing serious charges, including first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also requested his detention.

Authorities urge anyone with pertinent information regarding the investigation to reach out to the Austin Police Department Homicide Unit or the Metropolitan Crime Stoppers.