Benny Tijerina Jr.
| Benny Tijerina Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 16, 1958 |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Hispanic |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Criminal status | Imprisoned at Williamson County Jail |
Benny Tijerina Jr. is accused of the murders of Rita Salazer and Kevin Key.
Criminal history
His earliest criminal history includes 3 DWI convictions. The first was in 1998, and the third in 2005. His DNA was entered into the database following his first DWI conviction. His parole was revoked in November 2007.[1] [2]
Murder of Rita Salazer and Kevin Key
Salazer and Key met at an Austin nightclub, dated a few times, and on November 5, 1978, went to see a movie at the Highland Mall in Austin. They stopped their car after returning from a Dallas party. Key's 1974 Ford ran out of gas on I-35 near Round Rock. Jamie and Javier led Key to a forest location and shot him with a .22 caliber rifle. They sexually assaulted Salazer in the back of the car; Tijerina's involvement was limited to masturbation, leaving a semen stain on her underwear. She pleaded with the others to stop. Kevin's car was found the following day in Round Rock. His body, with 7 gunshot wounds, was found north of Georgetown. Robert Musley was the accomplice gunman (according to Tijerina's court testimony). Rita's body was found a day later, dumped on Interstate 35, approximately nine miles south of Waco. In 2000, a detective in Williamson County requested testing of her underwear. DNA from an unknown male contributor was recovered and matched to a profile in the CODIS DNA database. His DNA was linked to the crime in 2010 after being found in the CODIS database (according to District Attorney John Bradely). Following this, the case against Tijerina began. He admitted to abducting the couple at a party in Austin, and that his friends, Jamie and Javier, committed the murders. He was indicted on June 17, 2010, for the murders. On February 28, 2012, Ben pleaded guilty to the crimes and received 40 years in prison for 2 counts of murder and 1 count of capital murder, along with a 1 million dollar fine. He will not be eligible for parole until he has served one-third of his sentence, which will be 13 years. Many believed Henry Lee Lucas was responsible, due to his confession in the mid-1980s. [3] [4][5] [6] [7] [8]
References
- ↑ "Arrest made in 31 year old murder". Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2020.CS1 maint: Unfit url (link)
- ↑ "Relatives find justice for teen girl's 1978 slaying". wacotrib.com.
- ↑ "Relatives find justice for teen girl's 1978 slaying". wacotrib.com.
- ↑ The Confession Killer (Netflix) pt. 5
- ↑ "Arrest made in 31 year old murder". Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2020.CS1 maint: Unfit url (link)
- ↑ "KXAN-Guilty Plea in 1978 Cold Case". youtube.com.
- ↑ Bruney, Gabrielle (December 6, 2019). "Henry Lee Lucas Was Considered America's Most Prolific Serial Killer. But He Was Really a Serial Liar". Esquire.
- ↑ "Dallas man indicted in 1978 killings based on DNA evidence". Dallas News. June 20, 2010.
This article "Benny Tijerina Jr." is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Benny Tijerina Jr.. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
