AUSTIN, Texas — An Austin man charged with murdering a woman in 2024 was connected to another Central Texas homicide through selfies taken on his phone, placing him near the other crime scene.
Police held a press conference Tuesday to provide details about the suspect’s arrest.
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Luis Fernando Benitez Gonzalez, 26, was arrested April 27 by the U.S. Marshals Service Lone Star Fugitive Task Force at an apartment complex in Dallas. He faces a murder charge in the June 2024 death of Alyssa Ann Rivera in southeast Austin and has been linked through DNA evidence to the April 2018 killing of Alba Jenisse Aviles Marti in Bastrop County.
Investigators said they believe Benitez Gonzalez may be responsible for additional attacks. Detectives noted that people who commit crimes with such a distinct pattern rarely go six years between offenses.
“We are reviewing other cases in the Austin area,” APD Homicide Detective Chris Anderson said at a news conference Tuesday. “That’s part of the plea – have other agencies also check their records and check their cases to see if they have any unsolved that match what we have.”
Police said a key break in the case came in late 2025, when one victim of an aggravated assault fought back against Benitez Gonzalez and managed to take his cell phone. CBS Austin reporter Bettie Cross asked about that moment.
“What was the key in unlocking this case, or getting you all to start making all those connections?” Cross asked.
“Detectives did a search warrant on the phone… He took selfies,” Anderson said. “He had a photo of him. At that point, we had some identifiers for him. From that point on, we were ablet o progress the investigation further.”
The photos yielded location data that helped investigators identify him and place him near the scene of the 2018 Bastrop County homicide.
DNA recovered from the Rivera crime scene generated a match in the federal CODIS database linking her case to the Aviles Marti homicide. Benitez Gonzalez later confessed to both killings after his arrest, claiming self-defense in each case. Investigators said that claim is contradicted by the physical and forensic evidence.
Authorities said Benitez Gonzalez, a Mexican national who had been previously deported in 2020, is believed to have had contact with women in the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Lockhart areas. Detectives said a woman in Largo County was also attacked and strangled by a man connected to Benitez Gonzalez but survived.
“We are concerned that Luis Benitez Gonzalez may have had prior contact with other women,” Anderson said, urging anyone with information to come forward.
The investigation spanned 108 days from the time the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force was formally brought in. Benitez Gonzalez was taken into custody without incident after a traffic stop.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the APD Homicide Unit or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477 or austincrimestoppers.org.