Southwest
US Marine arrested in Texas after stealing over $500,000 in jewelry, authorities say
A U.S. Marine was arrested in Texas on Thursday after authorities say he stole hundreds of pieces of jewelry worth over $500,000 in two separate heists.
Marcelo Majeed Hernandez, 18, was identified as a suspect in the two heists that occurred in Houston at David Yurman Jewelry on October 13, 2023, and at Helzberg Diamond on April 5, Harris County Constable Precinct 4 said.
In the first burglary, deputies discovered that a masked suspect had smashed through the front door with a sledgehammer, smashed display cases and stolen over 200 pieces of jewelry valued at over $380,000.
During the second burglary, over $170,000 dollars worth of jewelry was stolen.
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Marcelo Majeed Hernandez was arrested Thursday in connection with two jewelry heists in the Houston area. (Harris County Constable Precinct 4 )
The constable said that Hernandez had been identified after a “very thorough investigation.” Deputies located him on Thursday, less than a week after the latest heist, and took him into custody.
Marcelo Majeed Hernandez, 18, was charged with two counts of first-degree felony theft. (Harris County Constable Precinct 4 )
During his arrest, deputies found three handguns, $11,000 in cash, and $500,000 worth of jewelry, which included diamonds, in his car, a Mercedes-Benz GLA, FOX26 Houston reported.
Stolen jewelry, cash and three handguns were found in Hernandez’s Mercedes-Benz GLA, authorities said. (Harris County Constable Precinct 4 )
The car had stolen license plates and was captured on surveillance video during the burglaries, Constable Mark Herman told the station. Detectives traced the vehicle to Hernandez.
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Most of the stolen jewelry has been recovered, according to the constable, and deputies are working to locate the last few pieces.
As investigators took Hernandez into custody, his dog tags fell out, and he told deputies that he was in the U.S. military, Herman told FOX26 Houston.
“Actually, he just recently finished his boot camp in the Marine Corps about a week before one of our cases,” Constable Mark Herman told the station.
Hernandez was identified as the masked suspect who smashed into two jewelry stores and stole over half a million in jewelry. (Harris County Constable Precinct 4 )
The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) told Fox News Digital in a statement that it was aware of the allegations against Hernandez and was in contact with local authorities.
Hernandez, a private first class reserve Marine with 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment in Houston, was not in a “drilling status” at the time when the alleged crimes occurred, the USMC said.
“The Marine Corps does not condone the type of behavior alleged in the incident,” the USMC said.
Herman said that Hernandez appears to still live with his parents in the Cypress neighborhood near where the heists took place.
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Hernandez was charged with two counts of first-degree felony theft. Online records show that he is in custody with a bond amount set at $500,000.
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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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