By LAURA B. MARTINEZ, The Brownsville Herald
2009-10-19 13:30:02
An 18-year-old Brownsville teenager has pleaded guilty to the brutal murder of his ex-girlfriend.
Hector Angel Herrasti Jr., appeared before state 103rd District Judge Janet Leal this morning where he entered a guilty plea to the Feb. 9, 2008 murder of 17-year-old Brenda Nunez, a Pace High School senior.
Nunez was found stabbed to death in her bedroom at her parent’s home on Gilson Road.
After entering his plea, Herrasti was sentenced to life in prison at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice institutional division.
As part of the plea, Herrasti waived his right to appeal or file a post conviction writ regarding his case, the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office said.
Authorities said Herrasti stabbed Nunez 27 times and slit her throat. He also bound Nunez and sexually assaulted her, authorities said.
The knife Herrasti allegedly used in the slaying was found at his aunt’s home on Red Rose Court, a few blocks away from the crime.
Police detectives said Herrasti, also a senior at Pace, was obsessed with Nunez, although she had recently broken off their relationship. He withdrew from Pace High School three days after the murder.
Because Herrasti was 16 when he was charged with the crime, the death penalty was not an option, the District Attorney’s office said.
The office cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Roper v. Simmons, 543 US 551 (2005,) that ruled the execution of an individual under the age of 18 at the time of the offense constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. The Court also ruled it violates the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
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