A Texas jury has sentenced Hector Acosta, a self-proclaimed Mexican drug cartel hitman, to death for the brutal 2017 murders of his roommate, Erick Zelaya, and Zelaya’s 17-year-old girlfriend, Iris Chirinos. The gruesome crime involved the beheading of Zelaya and the mutilation of both victims’ bodies.
Acosta was convicted of capital murder in a Tarrant County court after a week-long trial. The sentencing occurred on Wednesday, November 13, 2019. While his citizenship status remains unclear, reports indicate Acosta is originally from Mexico.
The murders took place at the Arlington home Acosta shared with Zelaya and Chirinos. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Acosta shot the couple while they slept. He then proceeded to behead Zelaya and mutilate the bodies with a machete and a two-by-four. Acosta buried the bodies in a shallow grave in the backyard.
Following the murders, Acosta left the scene on a bicycle, carrying Zelaya’s head. He deposited the head near a walking trail close to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, leaving it alongside a sign threatening further violence, according to KTVT-TV.
During closing arguments, lead prosecutor Kevin Rousseau described Acosta as “extraordinarily violent” and stated, “He deals in terror. It’s his job.” Prosecutor Tim Rodgers added that Acosta claimed to have committed murders, kidnappings, and torture for the Cartel Del Noreste, expressing that he had a “sickness to kill people.”
Rousseau further emphasized Acosta’s allegiance to the cartels, noting that he wore red shoes, a belt buckle featuring “Scarface,” and had cartel tattoos when booked into jail. He also mentioned that Acosta had been a member of a street gang in Houston after his family moved from Mexico. He later returned to Mexico and joined the cartel, but his independent drug deals angered cartel leaders. Rousseau questioned whether Acosta could follow rules in prison, given his history.
Defense attorneys argued for a life sentence, citing Acosta’s upbringing surrounded by violence in Monterrey, Mexico, and a possible brain injury that may have affected him. However, prosecutor Tim Rodgers countered, “Some people can get better. Some are just bad.”
The jury deliberated for just over four hours before delivering the death sentence. Had they been unable to reach a unanimous decision, Acosta would have received a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
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