Illegal immigrant from Belize convicted of murdering Pearland teen Josh Wilkerson

A Brazoria County jury convicted Hermilo Moralez, 21, for the 2010 murder of Pearland teen Josh Wilkerson and sentenced him to life in prison Tuesday (Jan. 29).

Wilkerson disappeared on Nov. 16, 2010 after offering his former classmate a ride home from school. Moralez, an illegal immigrant from Belize, later confessed to the murder and led police to his beaten and burned body in a remote field near Pearland.

Moralez will eligible for parole in 30 thirty years.

Moralez’ lead defense attorney Crespin Linton said he was disappointed with the trial outcome.

“I wish the jury would have taken our client’s mental illness more into effect when they decided the sentence. I don’t think they took that into enough consideration along with his age,” he said when contacted by The Journal. “They could have accomplished the same thing with a 30-year sence. It would have taken him out of action for many years until he grows older.”

Brazoria County District Attorney Jeri Yenne said she felt the sentence was justified.

“I believe the penalty was appropriate and represented absolute justice. The jury did what was right,” she said when contacted by The Journal. “This was a vicious, brutal crime. In my mind as I believe the evidence showed, Josh was basically lured to a location and murdered. He was killed in a horrible way and there was a lot of suffering connected with his death.

“This murder caused destruction on the family members’ lives and it also affect the entire community,” she said. “Our children need to be able to go to school and come home safely.”

During the trial, it was revealed Moralez had been previously arrested as a result of stalking his ex-girlfriend. He was jailed on charges of harassment by Brazoria County Sheriff Department Deputies on May 30, 2010, less than five months before the murder.

Yenni said it was unclear whyofficials from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) didn’t identify him as an illegal immigrant and deport him at that time.

“I understand that we do process a lot of illegal aliens here in Brazoria County and there are many people who are deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and there are some who are not. I don’t know what was reviewed related to his immigration status at the time,” she said. “To my knowledge, ICE reviews the rosters at the jail on a fairly regular basis.”

Yenni also praised the police officers who worked on the murder case.

“The Pearland Police Department did a fine job locating Joshua Wilkerson. They did an excellent documenting the investigation. They recorded over 16 hours of interaction,” she said. “They went to great lengths to bring about justice for the Wilkerson family and it is important for every citizen to know that the police would do the same for them. The citizens of Pearland can be very proud of their police department. They’ve got great police protection.”