Southwest
Texas grand jury indicts man who allegedly murdered mother of 9
A Webb County, Texas grand jury has indicted a man nearly a decade after he allegedly attempted to sexually assault the mother of nine children and killed her as she was walking home from work.
Using advanced forensic methods, investigators with the Texas Rangers and Laredo Police Department identified 42-year-old Sergio Mendez as the culprit who allegedly killed 33-year-old Janette Escamilla Jaramillo of Laredo, Texas, in 2016.
The Texas Rangers said in a press release that on May 18, 2016, Jaramillo left work to go home at about midnight, though she never made it to her destination.
Jaramillo’s body was discovered under a skate ramp just after daybreak at Seven Flags Park, by employees of the Laredo Parks and Recreation Department.
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Sergio Mendez was indicted earlier this month for allegedly murdering Janette Escamilla Jaramillo on May 18, 2016. (Texas Rangers)
Seven Flags Park is located just blocks from where Jaramillo lived, according to law enforcement officials.
Investigators learned that the victim had been brutally strangled after an attempted sexual assault.
During the investigation, detectives reviewed surveillance video footage showing Jaramillo walking with an unidentified person about 30 minutes after she was seen leaving her job.
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Sergio Mendez was indicted earlier this month for allegedly murdering Janette Escamilla Jaramillo on May 18, 2016. (Texas Rangers)
Police described the suspect as tall with short, cropped hair and wearing a trash bag, though that was likely because it was raining that night.
At the time, though, there was not enough evidence to arrest a suspect in Jaramillo’s case.
But in 2021, investigators were able to obtain funding from the Department of Justice (DOJ) after the case was identified as being eligible for the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) program.
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Pipette placing sample into vial for extracting DNA evidence in forensic lab. (Andrew Brookes via Getty Images)
The funding allows agencies across the U.S. to further investigate unsolved sexual assaults and sexually-related homicides.
Investigators used the funds to conduct advanced DNA testing, which ultimately identified Mendez as a suspect.
On March 12, a grand jury indicted Mendez. He is currently in custody and serving a 10-year prison sentence in Edinburg, Texas, for an unrelated crime.
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A woman was hospitalized with serious injuries after she was violently attacked by a robber in downtown Long Beach. On June 18, Jennifer Silva, 34, was attending a World Cup watch party at a Hooters restaurant at 90 Aquarium Way. After the game ended, she left the restaurant just before 11 p.m. As she walked […]
Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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