Convicted killer who fled sentencing was undocumented immigrant

Texas Most Wanted

Jose Luis Hernandez snipped his ankle monitor and fled before a sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to a 2014 murder in Houston.

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Jose Luis Hernandez snipped his ankle monitor and fled before a sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to a 2014 murder in Houston.

Keep going for a look at the most wanted fugitives in ... more Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Convicted killer who fled sentencing was undocumented immigrant 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

An undocumented immigrant who lured his victim with a fake Facebook profile snipped his ankle monitor and went on the run just before his sentencing for the 2014 murder of a Houston teenager, authorities said Thursday.

"It's not justice for our family," the victim's aunt tearfully told the Chronicle. "He was just a 17-year-old innocent kid who got killed over a girl."

Jose Luis Hernandez, 23 - who had already pleaded guilty to the killing - met with his lawyer on Tuesday but didn't show up court on Thursday, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

THE CRIME: Two men accused of using Facebook to lure shooting victim

Houston police said they believe Hernandez, a Mexican citizen, is headed south to the border. A spokesman for the District Attorney's Office confirmed Thursday that Hernandez was in the country illegally.

In 2014, Hernandez teamed up with Frank Marinero, 23, to lure Bryan Blanco to Sharpstown Park with a fake Facebook page.

On the evening of Dec. 27, Blanco showed up at the east Houston park expecting to meet a girl - but instead the two older men confronted him and one of them shot him.

Afterward, passersby found his body and called 911, according to police.

Blanco and Marinero had apparently dated the same woman, prosecutors said.

"It is heartbreaking knowing that somebody took his life for such a selfish reason, over a girl who doesn't care," Blanco's aunt Katherine Cerda, 25, said Thursday.

Cerda described her nephew as a fun-loving kid who dreamed of becoming a mechanic. He was an older brother to two autistic boys and played regularly with his 22 younger cousins.

"He joked around a lot - he was just a fun kid," Cerda said. "He was more of a kid than a teenager."

After Blanco's death, Cerda named her newborn baby in his honor.

More than six months after the fatal shooting, both suspects were charged with murder. In August, Marinero was found guilty for his role in the slaying. He was later sentenced to 99 years behind bars, according to court records.

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After his initial arrest, Hernandez was released on $85,000 bond.

After his release, Hernandez had to stick to certain conditions, including following a curfew and wearing a GPS monitor.

"He showed up every time he was supposed to be here and he was never late to court," prosecutor Britni Cooper said.

But then he skipped out on his sentencing Thursday, where he was facing a sentenced of 5 to 99 years, Cooper said.

"He is a very dangerous individual," she added.

Cooper said it is not common for defendants to flee before sentencing.

Hernandez's attorney, David Michael Paz, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Anyone with information on Jose Luis Hernandez' whereabouts is urged to call HPD or Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS. Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward and Clear Channel Outdoor is using digital billboards to spread images of the wanted man.

"We want justice for him and we hope that the person who did this will be behind bars," Cerda said.