The jury then sentenced 29 year old Luis Solis to life in prison for killing his roommate, Osiel Benitez-Herrera.
The jury was told by the medical examiner that Herrera died of blunt force trauma consistent with being struck with a baseball bat. Prosecutors told the jury a baseball bat belonging to Solis contained his DNA and the blood of the victim.
The jury also heard a voice mail with the victim’s cries for help.
The trial began September 11. The jury delivered the guilty verdict and punishment on September 18.
News release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office:
Luis Solis, of College Station, Texas was sentenced to Life in prison for the Murder of Osiel Benitez-Herrera.
In May 2019, College Station Police Department responded to a call from a concerned neighbor. She reported to 911 that she could hear someone screaming for help and calling out the name “Gonzo” in the
home next door. She described a man walking back and forth on the front porch who then ran into the woods.
Approximately 20 minutes later the defendant called 911 to report his roommate had been hurt but hung up the call before any identifying information could be obtained.
CSPD went to the home to discover what would later be described as a gruesome death for Benitez-Herrera. Solis called 911 a second time to report he was at the Wal-Mart minutes away. Upon contact the defendant said he arrived home to find his roommate dead.
CSPD began to contact family and friends of both men. Police recovered a voicemail from the defendant to his cousin left minutes before the 911 call. Members of the jury heard the victim’s cries for help and calling the defendant by his nickname, pleading “Gonzo, no.”
Clothing worn by Solis that night was collected at well as a suspicious bat known to belong to the defendant. DNA testing confirmed the victim’s blood located on the inside of the defendant’s clothing and
the barrel end of the bat. The defendant’s DNA was also on the handle of the bat. The jury heard from the medical examiner that the overwhelming injuries were a result of blunt force trauma consisted with a baseball bat.