Texas authorities arrested Luis Fernando Benitez-Gonzalez, 26, a previously deported Mexican national, in connection with two strangulation murders and two additional shootings targeting women across the state. The U.S. Marshals Service and Texas Department of Public Safety officers captured him April 27, 2024 following a coordinated manhunt in the Dallas metropolitan area.
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See subscription optionsBenitez-Gonzalez faces capital murder charges in Travis County for the death of 34-year-old Alyssa Ann Rivera in Austin and murder charges in Bastrop County for killing 28-year-old Alba Jenisse Aviles-Marti. Both women died by strangulation — Rivera after being severely beaten in a vacant home on Metcalfe Road in southeast Austin, and Aviles-Marti with a seatbelt in her vehicle following sexual assault.
Six-Year Gap Puzzles Investigators
The timeline raises red flags for homicide detectives. Rivera's decomposed remains were discovered June 21, 2024 by a passerby near the abandoned residence, while Aviles-Marti was murdered in February 2018 — just three miles from where Rivera's body would be found six years later. The Austin Police Department's Cold Case Unit took over the Rivera investigation after initial efforts stalled.
People who commit crimes of this nature, with the very distinct MO, they usually don't take a break. Not for six years.
Austin Police Detective Chris Anderson warned that Benitez-Gonzalez likely harmed additional victims during the intervening years between the two murders. The suspect allegedly made contact with potential victims through dating apps and social media platforms across Austin, Dallas, Houston and Hidalgo County along the Mexican border.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Brandon Filla revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement records show Benitez-Gonzalez was voluntarily deported to Mexico in October 2020 after serving time for assault charges in Harris County. Federal authorities have not disclosed when he illegally re-entered the United States, though court documents suggest he returned by early 2023.
DNA Breakthrough After Database Miss
The investigative breakthrough came when Austin police criminalists uploaded DNA evidence from both crime scenes to the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) in March 2024. The samples from Rivera and Aviles-Marti matched each other but returned no hits because Benitez-Gonzalez's genetic profile was not in the federal database.
Investigators then employed genetic genealogy techniques and surveillance footage from businesses near both crime scenes to identify Benitez-Gonzalez. The Bastrop County District Attorney's office had maintained the 2018 case as an active investigation despite limited leads for six years.
Anderson described "a repeated pattern of violence conducted against vulnerable female victims" based on physical evidence and the suspect's own statements during police interrogation. Court records indicate two other women survived recent shooting attacks in Austin and Dallas allegedly committed by Benitez-Gonzalez between January and March 2024.
Border Security Questions Mount
The case highlights ongoing challenges in tracking violent criminals who cross borders illegally and commit crimes across multiple Texas jurisdictions. Immigration records show Benitez-Gonzalez had three prior deportations between 2016 and 2020, each time returning illegally within months.
Texas has seen a 23% increase in violent crimes committed by repeat border crossers since 2022, according to Department of Public Safety statistics. The Benitez-Gonzalez investigation spans four counties and required coordination between federal marshals, local police, and immigration enforcement agencies.
What Comes Next
Benitez-Gonzalez remains held without bond in Travis County Jail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 15, 2024 in the 403rd District Court. Prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will seek the death penalty for Rivera's murder.
Austin police continue investigating whether Benitez-Gonzalez committed additional violent acts during his years in the United States. Detective Anderson's unit is reviewing unsolved assaults and homicides involving female victims across Central Texas dating back to 2018. The department has established a tip line for potential victims or witnesses who may have encountered the suspect.
