FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Hector Acosta-Ojeda was sentenced to death for the 2017 slayings in Arlington of his roommate, who was beheaded, and the roommate’s 17-year-old girlfriend.
A jury Wednesday sentenced Acosta-Ojeda, who prosecutors said was a self-proclaimed hit man for a Mexican drug cartel. Acosta-Ojeda was found guilty last week of capital murder in the killings of Erick Zelaya and Iris Chirinos.
Prosecutors say Acosta-Ojeda shot them and then mutilated their bodies before placing them in a shallow grave in his backyard and leaving Zelaya’s head on a nearby walking trail.
Defense attorneys asked for a life sentence, saying Acosta-Ojeda grew up surrounded by violence and a brain injury may have affected him.
Prosecutors say Acosta-Ojeda called the killings retribution for a past drive-by shooting he believed Zelaya participated in.