Sheriff: Man found in make-shift Palmview grave is Economedes High School student

PALMVIEW — Hidalgo County sheriff’s investigators have identified a body found in a backyard north of the city as that of an 18-year-old Economedes High School student and alleged gang member.

Roberto Javier Resendez’s remains were in advanced stages of decomposition when deputies discovered them nine feet underground and beneath two layers of concrete and a chicken coop Aug. 25 at a home on the 2600 block of Ken Drive, near the intersection of 5 Mile Road North and La Homa Drive.

 The advanced decay forced investigators to rely on dental records to make a positive identification, Sheriff Lupe Treviño said.

“For us to go to dental records means fingerprints are non-existent,” he said. “We’re talking bones and dry skin. There was no skin tissue or organs.”

Investigators believe Resendez, a purported member of the Tri-City Bombers gang, was the triggerman in a fatal shooting that left a fellow member of an alleged drug smuggling operation dead.

The conspirators ordered a hit on Gilberto Aguilar in February believing he had stolen a load of marijuana from the group, deputies said.

His body was abandoned near the intersection of Mile 11 ½ North and Texan Road with the word “rata” – Spanish for thief – written on his head.

After shooting Aguilar, Resendez was also allegedly targeted for death by the drug smuggling ring. The group believed him to be a weak link within their operation, Treviño said.

“They suspected him of having the potential to leak information out,” he said. “He was hard core (and) had a very lengthy felony and misdemeanor record. But he was very young, and they may have seen that as a weakness.”

On Aug. 26, six people were charged with capital murder in connection with Aguilar’s death. Each provided deputies with kidnapping and murder confessions.

They include:

>> Erica Sosa, 29;

>> Oscar Cantu Perez, 23;

>> Mark Anthony Garza, 20;

>> Daniel Flores Gutierrez, 25;

>> and Luis Adan Alemán Marroquin, 20

All of them – except Sosa – were also charged with capital murder in connection with Resendez’s stabbing.

If convicted, they could face the death penalty or life in prison.

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Lindsay Machak covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4462.