Trevor McEuen was sentenced to life without parole for the murder of Aaron Martinez after eluding authorities for weeks.

KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — A North Texas man who sparked a weeks-long manhunt after skipping a court date earlier this year has been found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Trevor McEuen, 33, was convicted in Kaufman County for the 2023 killing of 35-year-old Aaron Martinez, a father and electrical contractor who was shot multiple times inside his pickup truck.

McEuen was captured in June after weeks on the run. According to the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office, he was taken into custody during a pre-dawn raid at a home in Van Zandt County, where officials said he had been hiding beneath his grandmother’s house. 


Before his arrest, McEuen had removed his ankle monitor and failed to appear for a court hearing on May 5, prompting a manhunt east of Grand Saline and his addition to the Texas Department of Public Safety’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitive list.

Deputies said McEuen faced multiple charges, including capital murder, arson, and five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Authorities are still investigating whether anyone helped conceal him during the manhunt.

At the time of his arrest, Martinez’s family expressed both relief and frustration, saying they had long warned authorities about McEuen’s threats before the shooting. Martinez’s parents, Rosa Mejía Calderón and Salvador Martinez, previously told WFAA that they were unhappy with how the case was being handled. 

In Texas, a capital murder conviction carries a punishment of either life in prison without parole or the death penalty.