Brownsville teen pleads guilty to ex-girlfriend's murder

An 18-year-old Brownsville teenager has pleaded guilty to the brutal murder of his ex-girlfriend.

Hector Angel Herrasti Jr., appeared before state 103rd District Court Judge Janet Leal Monday where he entered a guilty plea to the Feb. 9, 2008 murder of 17-year-old Brenda Nuñez, a Pace High School senior.

Nuñez was found stabbed to death in her bedroom at her parent’s home on Gilson Road.

After entering his guilty plea before the judge, Herrasti was sentenced to life in prison in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice institutional division. As part of the plea, Herrasti waived his right to appeal or file a post conviction writ regarding his case, the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office said.

“We are very pleased with the outcome of this prosecution. Justice has been served, the victim has had her day in court, and the defendant will be punished severely,” said Chief First Assistant District Attorney Charles E. Mattingly Jr., in a statement.

Authorities said Herrasti, who was 16 at the time of the murder, stabbed Nuñez 27 times and slit her throat. He also bound Nuñez and sexually assaulted her, authorities said.

The knife Herrasti allegedly used in the slaying was found at his aunt’s home on Red Rose Court, a few blocks away from the crime.

Brownsville police detectives said Herrasti, also a senior at Pace at the time, was obsessed with Nuñez, although she had recently broken off their relationship.

The seriousness of the crime was enough to get Herrasti certified to stand trial as an adult, authorities said.

Because Herrasti was 16 when he was charged with the crime, the death penalty was not an option, the District Attorney’s office said.

The office cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Roper v. Simmons, 543 US 551 (2005,) that ruled the execution of an individual under the age of 18 at the time of the offense constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. The Court also ruled it violates the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Herrasti had remained incarcerated at a Cameron County juvenile detention center and a county jail since his 2008 arrest.

Laura B. Martinez is a reporter for The Brownsville Herald.