Victor Godinez Case: Capital Murder Trial, Death Sentence, and Appeal

The Victor Godinez case ended in a Texas death sentence on January 31, 2024, when a Hidalgo County jury convicted the Edinburg man of the capital murder of Department of Public Safety Trooper Moises Sanchez and recommended death. State District Judge Letty Lopez formally imposed the sentence that afternoon, and Godinez was received on Texas death row on February 15, 2024, under TDCJ number 999630.¹ His automatic direct appeal is pending before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, with oral argument scheduled for February 25, 2026.²

What Happened on April 6, 2019

Godinez, then 24, had spent the day drinking at a friend’s apartment in Edinburg. Trial testimony described portions of a six-pack and two 12-packs consumed over the course of the day. Two friends, Adrian and Joseph Gonzalez, testified they tried to stop him from driving, telling him he was “too drunk to drive” and could “barely stand.” He got into his truck anyway and sped off. A toxicology report drawn after his arrest the next morning showed a blood alcohol content of .14.³

Shortly after leaving, Godinez crashed near 10th Street and Freddy Gonzalez Drive in western Edinburg and fled on foot. Two civilian witnesses identified him as the driver, and one said the truck smelled of alcohol.⁴ Trooper Moises Sanchez responded to the crash, spotted the suspect, and pursued him down Freddy Gonzalez Drive onto Maltese Street. Dash camera footage played at trial showed Sanchez stopping his vehicle, opening the door, and saying “Don’t do it, don’t do it!” just before gunshots. Prosecutors said Godinez used a .357 magnum revolver.⁵

Sanchez was struck in the head and shoulder. The dash cam continued recording his labored breathing until residents came to help and called 911. The head wound caused a skull fracture, and X-rays later revealed bullet fragments in his chest and intestines.⁶

The Manhunt and Arrest

Godinez fled into the surrounding area, and multiple agencies converged on the search. During the manhunt he fired on two Edinburg police officers, including Sgt. Sandra Tapia, who later testified about coming under fire during a second shooting incident that night.⁷ He was apprehended in the early hours of April 7, 2019, near Mon Mack Road. Body camera footage from the arrest showed him repeatedly asking officers whether the trooper he shot was “alright.”⁸

From Attempted Capital Murder to Capital Murder

Sanchez underwent a craniectomy and cycled through hospitals and rehabilitation facilities as his condition rose and fell over the following months. He died in Houston on August 24, 2019, nearly five months after the shooting.⁶ He was 49.

Godinez had been charged initially with three counts of attempted capital murder for the shootings of Sanchez and the two Edinburg officers. After Sanchez’s death, District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez said his office would take the case back to a grand jury.⁹ On September 19, 2019, the grand jury returned a capital murder indictment for the killing of a peace officer.¹⁰

The Guilt Phase: A Fight Over Causation

The 16-day trial was held in the 389th State District Court in Edinburg before Judge Letty Lopez. On January 23, 2024, the jury convicted Godinez of capital murder of a peace officer and two counts of attempted capital murder of a peace officer.¹¹

The defense, led by O. Rene Flores, conceded that Godinez shot Sanchez and fired at the two other officers. The fight was over what killed the trooper. Flores argued Sanchez died from “lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain” after a cranioplasty performed four months after the shooting, and asked the jury to return three counts of attempted murder instead of capital murder.¹²

Prosecutors called Dr. Lucile Tennant, who performed the autopsy, and Dr. Glenn Douglas Sandberg, a pathologist who examined the brain and found it necrotic with a bullet fragment that had traveled nearly its full length. Sandberg testified that the gunshot “caused the chain of events” leading to death and that Sanchez would never have needed the surgeries had he not been shot.⁶ The jury agreed.

The Punishment Phase and Death Sentence

The punishment phase opened on January 24, 2024. Flores told jurors he wanted them to hear “a little bit more about the man, as opposed to the myth.” Godinez’s former stepfather, James Jackson, described a troubled youth with a “drinking problem” who was “loud, obnoxious, and unwilling to listen to authority,” but said Godinez had improved after a boot camp program, worked construction at a Baytown refinery, and had unsuccessfully applied to the Border Patrol, the Marines, and a police academy.³

Prosecutors put on three law enforcement officers involved on April 6, 2019, who described the lasting toll of the night. They also sought to introduce evidence that Godinez had adopted the nickname “Trooper” while in jail. Judge Lopez excluded the phone recordings but allowed a single letter into evidence with everything redacted except the signature “Trooper.”¹³

After nearly 12 hours of deliberation, the jury returned its verdict shortly after midnight on January 31, 2024. Jurors unanimously found Godinez would remain a danger to society and rejected the argument that mitigating circumstances warranted life, recommending death.¹⁴ On the two attempted capital murder counts, the jury imposed life in prison.¹⁵

Asked whether he had anything to say at sentencing, Godinez replied, “No ma’am.” Judge Lopez responded, “If you have nothing more to say, I sentence you to death… you will be on death row.” Sanchez’s widow, Yvonne, addressed Godinez directly, recounting that her husband had called out to him as “brother” before being shot, and told him, “May God bless you.” Their daughter, Zooey, told the court her father’s death “shortened her childhood.”¹⁶ Prosecutor Joseph Orendain said afterward, “This is as much justice as we are going to get. I think this community has spoken and said that they’re not going to tolerate this kind of behavior in our county.”¹⁷

The Appeal

Under Texas law, a death sentence triggers automatic direct review by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. The case is styled Victor Alejandro Godinez v. The State of Texas, docketed as AP-77,122. Godinez is represented on appeal by Rolando Garza, a solo practitioner in Edinburg; the state is represented by Rodolfo Martinez Jr. Oral argument is set for February 25, 2026.²

According to TDCJ records, Godinez was born January 26, 1995, is a native of Hidalgo County, worked in construction before his arrest, and had no prior prison record.¹

1
Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Victor Godinez Death Row Information
2
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Submission Schedule, February 25, 2026
3
MyRGV. Friend Tried to Stop Godinez From Going Out on Night of Trooper’s Shooting
4
KRGV. Widow of DPS Trooper Sanchez Testifies in Victor Godinez Trial
5
MyRGV. Dramatic Dash Cam Video Shown in Death Penalty Trial
6
MyRGV. Medical Examiner Says Gunshot Caused DPS Trooper’s Death, Not Surgery
7
KRGV. Witnesses Testifying in Victor Godinez Trial Detail Tense Manhunt for Suspect
8
MyRGV. Edinburg Shooter Asked Law Enforcement About Trooper Moises Sanchez’s Status, Body Cam Shows Arrest
9
WSET. Hidalgo County DA to Seek Capital Murder Charge for Suspect Following Trooper’s Death
10
KRGV. Man Indicted for Capital Murder in Slaying of Texas Trooper
11
MyRGV. Victor Godinez Sentenced to Death for Trooper Moises Sanchez’s Killing
12
Valley Central. Godinez’s Fate Now in the Jury’s Hands
13
MyRGV. Convicted Cop Killer Victor Godinez Nicknamed “Trooper” in Jail
14
Valley Central. Judge Sentences Godinez to Death, Family Reads Statements of Fallen Trooper
15
NY1. Texas Jury Recommends the Death Penalty for Man Convicted of the Fatal Shooting of a State Trooper
16
KRGV. Family of Trooper Sanchez Delivers Impact Statements During Killer’s Sentencing
17
Newsday. Texas Jury Recommends Death Penalty for Man Convicted of Fatal Shooting of State Trooper