Mexican national accused of murdering two women in Texas six years apart
Brooke Taylor brings to light the case of Luis Fernando Benitez-Gonzalez, a Mexican national living illegally in the U.S., who stands accused of the murders of two women in Texas, occurring in 2018 and 2024. His identification was facilitated by DNA evidence and a courageous woman who, after surviving an assault, managed to seize Benitez-Gonzalez’s phone. This development has prompted Austin Police to re-examine unsolved cases, raising the possibility of him being a serial killer.
A leading criminal profiler has issued a stark warning about a potential serial killer emerging in Texas sooner than previously anticipated, with concerns mounting over a possible larger number of victims. This apprehension arises from a notable six-year interval between the alleged murders.
The accused, Luis Benitez-Gonzalez, a 26-year-old who had been deported from the U.S. before, faces charges of strangling two women in Austin, Texas, with incidents reported in 2018 and again in 2024.
His arrest was announced by police earlier this week, following two more attempted shootings in 2025 that left the women injured but alive. One of them bravely retaliated, reportedly managing to take the attacker’s cellphone, shedding new light on the investigation.
Benitez-Gonzalez, charged with two killings and implicated in shooting two other survivors, is identified as an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, who was voluntarily deported in 2020. Authorities in Austin suspect there could be additional victims connected to this case.
We usually never find out who the first victims really were. I just wonder how many this guy has killed with his homicidal anger towards women over the years?
“The rub for me…is that he is accused of killing Alba Jenisse Aviles-Marti when he was only about 18 years old,” said John Kelly, a criminal profiler who had been following the case since before Austin police and the U.S. Marshals announced an arrest. “We worked hard looking for this guy, because we believed there was a serial killer in this area. Little did we expect a budding serial killer who allegedly started killing at 18.”
Historically, most serial killers are older when they evolve into murderers, he said.
Luis Benitez-Gonzalez is accused of murdering Alba Jenisse Aviles, 28, and Alyssa Ann Rivera, 34, in Texas during separate incidents. (Department of Homeland Security)
“This is extremely rare, as serial killers usually start killing between 23 to 35 years old,” the STALK Inc. founder told Fox News Digital. “We usually never find out who the first victims really were. I just wonder how many this guy has killed with his homicidal anger towards women over the years?”
Investigators working the case are asking the same question.
“We believe that there is a strong likelihood that Benitez is responsible for further acts of extreme violence,” said Chris Anderson, a homicide detective with the Austin Police Department.
He said police are already looking into more cases for potential connections.
An image from Luis Benitez-Gonzalez’s arrest in Dallas by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force on April 27, 2026. He is accused of killing two women, shooting two more who survived, and Austin police say there may be more victims. (Austin Police Department)
He is urging anyone with additional information on Benitez-Gonzalez to contact the Austin Police Homicide unit at 512-974-8477 or Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477.
The suspect, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who voluntarily self-deported in 2020 before reentering the country at an unknown time, is believed to have ties to Austin, Houston, Dallas and Hidalgo County.
WATCH: Texas authorities say illegal migrant charged in 2 murders, 2 shootings and more victims possible
Authorities announced charges against him Tuesday in connection with the murders of Aviles-Marti and Alyssa Ann Rivera, whose remains were found just three miles away in 2024.
Anderson said that it’s suspicious that there’s a six-year gap between the slayings and that evidence shows an alleged “repeated pattern of violence conducted against vulnerable female victims.”
“He has a 2018 case, and he has a 2024 case,” Anderson said. “People who commit crimes of this nature, with the very distinct MO, they usually don’t take a break.
Benitez-Gonzalez is also accused of shooting two more women in Austin in November and December 2025. Both of them survived, which helped authorities catch Benitez-Gonzalez.
He allegedly claimed self-defense in all four cases, but authorities said they don’t believe him. He has not yet entered a plea.
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