Maria Gonzalez, 11, killed in her Pasadena, TX home *ARREST*

Manhunt underway after Pasadena girl found dead inside her home, police say

There are no suspects in custody. Pasadena police are asking anyone with information on this case to give them a call.

www.khou.com

Manhunt underway after Pasadena girl found dead inside her home, police say​

An 11-year-old Pasadena girl was sexually assaulted and strangled at her home Saturday while her dad was at work, police said.

She has been identified as Maria Gonzalez from Guatemala. As of Tuesday, no arrests have been made.

Police said they were called to an apartment complex on Main Street near Harris Avenue at about 3 p.m. when Maria's father, Carmelo Gonzalez, called 911. He came home from work and found his daughter's body wrapped in a trash bag and stuffed in a laundry basket that was put beneath her bed.

Carmelo Gonzalez told police he had left for work at about 9:45 a.m., leaving his daughter home alone. A little later, he got a message from his daughter saying there was someone knocking at the front door.

Carmelo Gonzalez said he sent her a message back, telling her not to open the door. She said she wouldn't and that she would stay in her bed. After that, Carmelo Gonzalez never heard from Maria again, said Pasadena Police Chief Josh Brugger.

"I called and called and called," Carmelo Gonzalez said.

Brugger said that at about 1 p.m., Carmelo Gonzalez contacted family members who stayed in the same apartment complex and asked them to check on Maria. Maria's aunt and uncle both went to look for her but said they couldn't find her inside the apartment.

Police said Carmelo Gonzalez got off work and made it home shortly after 3 p.m. That's when he found his daughter's body wrapped in a trash bag and stuffed in a laundry basket that was put underneath her bed. He called 911 and when paramedics arrived on the scene, they provided medical aid to Maria before pronouncing her dead.

A medical examiner confirmed Monday that Maria's cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation. It was also determined that Maria was sexually assaulted.

Police said Carmelo Gonzalez is not considered a suspect in this case because his alibi checks out.

Investigators are combing through physical and digital evidence to find out who's responsible for Maria's death. Police said there was no forced entry into the home and nothing was stolen.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Maria Gonzalez: Benefit concert, BBQ plate sale to support funeral 11-year-old

On Saturday, a benefit concert and BBQ plate sill will be held to support the funeral of 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez killed in her home in Pasadena.

www.fox26houston.com

Maria Gonzalez: Benefit concert, BBQ plate sale to support funeral 11-year-old​

A benefit will be held to support the funeral of the 11-year-old girl killed in her home in Pasadena.

On Saturday, a BBQ plate sale will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the help from Houston's Meat Planet, to help the family of Maria Gonzalez, the young girl found sexually assaulted and strangled under a bed in her home by her father.

In addition to the plate sale, there will be a benefit concert from 5 to 8 p.m. featuring Houston's mariachi sensation Eduardo Antonio from America's Got Talent, singer SamKnight, and Tejano singer Gabriella Martinez.

There will also be a candlelight vigil.

Maria's father gave this statement:

I want to thank the whole community for making this possible. There was no way I could have ever done this on my own. I am forever in debt to every single person who helped us. Thank you for uniting with me and my family and helping me return my daughter to Guatemala.

Barbeque benefit raises thousands for family of Maria Gonzalez

"It not only affected the immediate family, but it affected the community," said Meat Planet's Sam Barraza.

www.khou.com

Barbeque benefit raises thousands for family of Maria Gonzalez​

Barbeque plates and hearts full of love are what brought hundreds out to Houston's Meat Planet in honor of 11-year-old Maria Elena Gonzalez.

"It not only affected the immediate family, but it affected the community," said Meat Planet's Sam Barraza.

Since then, thousands from near and far have come together to support the family, raising money to help return Maria's body back to her native country of Guatemala, where she was laid to rest Saturday afternoon.

"We want the people in Guatemala to know also we’re with you, we stand with you and the family," said Barraza.

Each barbeque plate sold Saturday was part of continued support for Maria's parents and her two siblings.

"Houston is known for whenever there’s a disaster or if there’s any benefit or cause, we all come together regardless of the race, religion. It's been beautiful how the community has come together to show their love for this family," said Houston resident Diana Salas.

A love that's served as a source of strength these last couple of weeks for Maria's father, Carmelo Gonzalez. He thanked everyone from the bottom of his heart for the help and support he says he didn’t ask for or expect.

"It doesn’t matter whether you’re in River Oaks, Pasadena, Northside, whether you come from the hood or not, we’re family, we all pull together when it comes to things like this," said Salas.

Organizers of Saturday's benefit say more than $20,000 was raised for the Gonzalez family.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Texas suspect denied bail over murder of 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez

Texas suspect Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez, who is accused of murdering and sexually assaulting 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez, was denied bail after being arrested for the murder.

www.foxnews.com

Texas suspect denied bail over murder of 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez​

The Texas suspect who is accused of murdering and sexually assaulting 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez was denied bail last week.

Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez, 18, was arrested in Shreveport, Louisiana and charged with capital murder on August 19. His bail request was rejected during a Thursday court appearance, according to FOX 26 Houston.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Texas suspect denied bail over murder of 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez

Texas suspect Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez, who is accused of murdering and sexually assaulting 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez, was denied bail after being arrested for the murder.

www.foxnews.com

Texas suspect denied bail over murder of 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez​

The Texas suspect who is accused of murdering and sexually assaulting 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez was denied bail last week.

Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez, 18, was arrested in Shreveport, Louisiana and charged with capital murder on August 19. His bail request was rejected during a Thursday court appearance, according to FOX 26 Houston.

Well on the one hand I'd say bully for the court system and judge denying him bail but on the other I'd hope it wouldn't even be a question. And yet they request it, the defense, and him, so typical.

I haven't had a lot of time but even with the lack of time and maybe how immune to a point we get to just another BAD CHILD case (or any) this one hits hard. She was ELEVEN and did things right, texted for help and you name it just over someone knocking. And she ends up RAPED, MURDERED and STUFFED under a bed by an EIGHTEEN year old. Bail shouldn't even be a question or an article. It should be a GIVEN there would be NONE. One would hope.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Death penalty sought for man accused of raping, killing 11-year-old Pasadena girl in 2023

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the man who's accused of sexually assaulting and killing his 11-year-old neighbor in 2023.

www.khou.com

Death penalty sought for man accused of raping, killing 11-year-old Pasadena girl in 2023​

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for a man who's accused of sexually assaulting and killing his 11-year-old neighbor at their Pasadena apartments, according to court records.

Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez, now 20, is charged with capital murder in connection with Maria Gonzalez's death on Aug. 12, 2023, at an apartment complex on Main Street near Harris Avenue. He was 18 at the time the crime took place. He was due back in court on Wednesday.

According to investigators, Maria was sexually assaulted and strangled while her father was at work.

After Maria's death, Garcia-Rodriguez went missing. He was later identified as a person of interest in the case and found in Louisiana. He was arrested in Shreveport about a week after the crime and extradited to Pasadena a couple of days later.

A medical examiner confirmed that Maria's cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation. It was also determined that Maria was sexually assaulted.


Maria was supposed to return to Guatemala that October, where she lived with her mom, after spending a few months in the United States with her dad.

Instead, she was flown home in a pink casket.

"Uno nunca pensó dejar ir a mi hija, regresa sin vida," her mom, Ana Elizabeth Xitumul Saput, said. "Nunca imaginé eso, no me cabe en la cabeza. Por que le paso a ella así."

She said she never imagined her daughter would be killed in Texas.

Hundreds showed up to console Xitumul Saput as Maria's casket was carried through the streets of Guatemala.

 

[ima.grandma]

Death penalty sought for man accused of raping, killing 11-year-old Pasadena girl in 2023​

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for a man who's accused of sexually assaulting and killing his 11-year-old neighbor at their Pasadena apartments, according to court records.
Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez, now 20, is charged with capital murder in connection with Maria Gonzalez's death on Aug. 12, 2023, at an apartment complex on Main Street near Harris Avenue. He was 18 at the time the crime took place. He was due back in court on Wednesday.
Editor's note: The video in this article is from a previous report.
According to investigators, Maria was sexually assaulted and strangled while her father was at work.
After Maria's death, Garcia-Rodriguez went missing. He was later identified as a person of interest in the case and found in Louisiana. He was arrested in Shreveport about a week after the crime and extradited to Pasadena a couple of days later.

What happened to Maria?​

Police said they were called to the apartment complex at about 3 p.m. when Maria's father, Carmelo Gonzalez, called 911. He came home from work and found his daughter's body wrapped in a trash bag and stuffed in a laundry basket that was put beneath her bed.
Carmelo Gonzalez told police he left for work at about 9:45 a.m., leaving his daughter home alone. A little later, he got a message from her saying someone was knocking at the front door.
Carmelo Gonzalez said he told her not to open the door. She said she wouldn't and that she would stay in her bed. After that, Carmelo Gonzalez never heard from Maria again.
Brugger said that at about 1 p.m., Carmelo Gonzalez contacted family members who stayed in the same apartment complex and asked them to check on Maria. Maria's aunt and uncle both went to look for her, but said they couldn't find her inside the apartment.
Police said Carmelo Gonzalez got off work and made it home shortly after 3 p.m. That's when he found his daughter's body. He called 911, and when paramedics arrived on the scene, they provided medical aid to Maria before pronouncing her dead.
A medical examiner confirmed that Maria's cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation. It was also determined that Maria was sexually assaulted.

What led police to Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez?​

According to court records, a single key led investigators to Garcia-Rodriguez.
When Carmelo Gonzalez came home and found his daughter dead, he also found a key that didn't belong to his apartment. Investigators later determined that the key belonged to a neighboring apartment unit.
Three people lived in that unit, including Garcia-Rodriguez.

Police spoke to Garcia-Rodriguez's two roommates, and they told them he moved out just days after Maria was killed. When they asked for his key to the apartment, he refused to give it back, telling them that he was going to hold on to it.
The two roommates grew nervous, so they had the locks changed.

Detectives later determined that the key found in Maria's home matched the old locks.

The roommates told police they didn't really know Garcia-Rodriguez, and he had only lived with them for less than a month.
After first denying involvement with Maria's death, Garcia-Rodriguez later changed his story, investigators said. He told them it was his key that was found in Maria's apartment, but he said he was forced to sexually assault Maria because he claimed two Black men held him at gunpoint and made him do it.
Prosecutors said they don't think anyone else was involved.

Hundreds show up in Guatemala to carry Maria's pink casket​

Maria was supposed to return to Guatemala that October, where she lived with her mom, after spending a few months in the United States with her dad.

Instead, she was flown home in a pink casket.

"Uno nunca pensó dejar ir a mi hija, regresa sin vida," her mom, Ana Elizabeth Xitumul Saput, said. "Nunca imaginé eso, no me cabe en la cabeza. Por que le paso a ella así."

She said she never imagined her daughter would be killed in Texas.

Hundreds showed up to console Xitumul Saput as Maria's casket was carried through the streets of Guatemala.

Death penalty sought for man accused of raping, killing 11-year-old Pasadena girl in 2023

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the man who's accused of sexually assaulting and killing his 11-year-old neighbor in 2023.

www.khou.com