EXCLUSIVE TO FOX: The Department of Homeland Security has stated that two women, allegedly killed by an undocumented immigrant in Texas, could have been alive today had circumstances been different.
Luis Fernando Benítez-González, a 26-year-old Mexican national, is suspected in the deaths of 34-year-old Alyssa Ann Rivera in Austin and 28-year-old Alba Jenisse Aviles in Bastrop County. Authorities apprehended him on April 27 in Dallas, with the operation led by U.S. Marshals and supported by other law enforcement agencies.
“This individual, who is in the country illegally, stands accused of taking the lives of two women in Texas,” remarked Lauren Bis, the acting Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security. “In addition to these accusations, he has faced charges for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and drug possession.”
Benítez-González is facing charges of first-degree murder along with two counts of second-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, as per the records from Travis County Jail, where he is currently detained. He also has a prior charge related to drug possession, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“Alba Jenisse Aviles and Alyssa Ann Rivera should still be alive today.”
Benítez-González was charged with first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to jail records in Travis County, where he is being held. He also has a previous drug possession charge, according to DHS.
He was connected to the killings through DNA evidence, authorities said.
Aviles was murdered April 14, 2018; her body was discovered by a passing motorist. She was last seen alive at Club Caribe in Austin with an unidentified Hispanic man.
Bastrop County detectives found evidence that Aviles had been dragged, strangled and assaulted, noting mud on her clothing and feet, bruising on her neck, chin and lip, and blood on her face and the exterior of her car.
Luis Benitez-Gonzalez is accused of killing two women and shooting two more who survived. He is an illegal immigrant from Mexico who was voluntarily deported in 2020, according to authorities. Austin police believe there may be more victims. (Austin Police Department)
Detectives also found one of her earrings 10 feet away from the vehicle, Fox 7 Austin reported.
Benítez-González told detectives he was defending himself, claiming Aviles attacked him during an argument over drugs. He allegedly admitted to grabbing her by the neck from behind and strangling her for approximately seven minutes.
Rivera’s body was found by Austin police in an abandoned home on June 21, 2024. She was discovered with an extension cord wrapped around her neck. Police also found a bloody rock, bloody handprints and evidence that Rivera had been forcibly dragged into the house and assaulted.
Alyssa Ann Rivera was killed in Austin on June 22, 2024. (Austin Police Department)
A medical examiner determined Rivera had been struck in the head and nose. Surveillance footage showed her walking with a man shortly before she was killed. In that case, Benítez-González claimed Rivera tried to strangle him with a seatbelt, which he then turned on her, according to reports.
“There was DNA found at both scenes,” APD Sgt. Nathan Sexton said in 2024. “Multiple sources of DNA at both scenes, but the same suspect links back in both cases.”
Alba Jenisse Aviles Marti was killed on April 14, 2018, in Bastrop County, Texas. (Austin Police Department)
The suspect, however, was not in the police database because he had no prior arrest record. In December 2025, Austin detectives were notified of two incidents in which a man shot two women in separate attacks weeks apart.
Authorities later received a tip that Benítez-González was the shooter and was attempting to sell guns in an effort to flee the United States.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Dallas Police Department and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office for further comment.
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