Gang member gets life without parole in Arlington double murder

An Arlington gang member and drug dealer was sentenced to life without parole Thursday for killing a man who he said disrespected him and a woman who witnessed the shooting.

Tarrant County jurors found Anibal Hernandez, 21, guilty of capital murder Thursday. He was automatically sentenced to life because prosecutors had waived the death penalty.

The jury in Criminal District Court No. 1 sent Hernandez to prison for fatally shooting Mark Torres and Aracely Charles, both 31, in their Arlington apartment on Sept. 7, 2013.

That morning, Torres had pointed a gun at Hernandez’s head and forced the Arlington gang member to get on his knees and beg for his life, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Torres eventually let Hernandez go, but he returned minutes later and shot Torres to death, Arlington detectives said in the affidavit. Charles was killed “so that no witnesses would be available,” according to the affidavit.

The bodies were found the same day by a relative in a downstairs unit at Stone Canyon Apartments in the 2100 block of Madison Drive.

Torres was arrested days later, as was 22-year-old Miguel Trevino of Euless. A third suspect, Juan Carlos DeJesus, 25, of Irving, was also arrested and accused of tampering with evidence. Trials for Trevino and DeJesus are pending.

A witness told detectives that she saw Hernandez, Trevino and DeJesus at Torres’ apartment the night of Sept. 6, 2013, before they left for a nightclub.

Another witness said the three men returned to Torres’ apartment early the next day. After the gun-pointing incident, Torres ordered them to leave.

A witness told detectives that Hernandez said he had to kill Torres before Torres killed him. The affidavit says Hernandez got a handgun from Trevino, was driven back to Torres’ apartment and killed the two people.

The investigation led to Hernandez, Trevino and DeJesus after detectives learned that the three were the last people to be with the couple. Hernandez and DeJesus were arrested a few days later, and Trevino was arrested in Houston by U.S. marshals.

Hernandez has been in trouble since his arrest, according to court documents.

Prosecutors said he made several threats to witnesses. Within hours after the slayings, he threatened to “get rid” of two witnesses if they snitched on him, according to court documents.

Hernandez also solicited a fellow inmate to assault DeJesus in the Tarrant County Jail in retaliation for his cooperation with authorities, according to court records.

Hernandez had a criminal history in Tarrant County. He had convictions of failure to identify, evading arrest and theft of $50-$500 from 2011 until 2013, according to the criminal court records.

In court papers filed in the case, prosecutors said Hernandez was a gang member and a drug user and dealer.

This story was originally published April 2, 2015 at 1:20 PM with the headline "Gang member gets life without parole in Arlington double murder."