EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A man was sentenced to nearly two decades in prison following a 2024 Texas Department of Public Safety chase that resulted in the death of a 44-year-old woman in El Paso’s Upper Valley.
Joseph Maldonado, from Horizon City, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for murder on Tuesday, Oct. 6, according to court records obtained by KTSM 9 News.
Joseph Maldonado. Photo courtesy of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
As KTSM previously reported, at around 8 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, Texas Highway Patrol troopers were aiding DPS agents in an attempt to stop a vehicle on Artcraft Road.
Woman killed in Upper Valley crash, teen facing murder charge after pursuit
According to DPS, the vehicle, driven by then 17-year-old Maldonado, was believed to be smuggling persons who entered the U.S. illegally.
Prior to the attempted vehicle stop, agents noted that Maldonado picked up six migrants off of Airport Road in Santa Teresa, according to the affidavit. Maldonado was then seen by DPS agents traveling onto Pete Domenici Memorial Highway and then turning onto Artcraft Road.
A DPS unit then turned on its emergency lights, and Maldonado accelerated “at a high rate of speed,” continuing to travel northbound on Artcraft Road, according to court records.
Maldonado was seen “recklessly” speeding and weaving through traffic.
At the intersection of Upper Valley Road and Artcraft, Maldonado crashed into a sedan and sideswiped a pickup truck. The sedan, after the impact of the crash, then collided with a traffic light pole, according to the affidavit.
DPS agents then arrested both Maldonado and the six migrants who were in the vehicle. It was noted in court documents that five out of the six migrants in the vehicle were from Mexico; the other migrant was from Guatemala.
First responders arrived on scene and attempted to extract a woman who was in the sedan. According to court documents, responders attempted to extract the woman, but were unsuccessful due to “the catastrophic damage caused by the collision.”
After a couple of failed attempts, first responders used the “Jaws of Life” and were later able to extract the woman from the vehicle, after which she was taken to University Medical Center.
At 8:44 a.m., 44-year-old Wendy Rodriguez was pronounced dead after sustaining “incapacitating injuries,” according to a doctor at UMC.
Maldonado was transported to a DPS facility and consented to do an interview with agents.
According to the affidavit, Maldonado was talking to an unknown affiliate through “WhatsApp,” believed to be the front passenger during the chase. He told agents that he would’ve received $300 per person he smuggled, totaling about $3,000.
Maldonado also told agents that he agreed to transport the migrants because he “needed money due to financial struggles,” read court documents.
On Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, Maldonado pleaded guilty to the following charges, according to the 120th District Court:
One count of first-degree murder
One count of smuggling persons involving serious bodily injury or death
Five counts of smuggling of persons for pecuniary benefit
One count of evading arrest/detention, causing death
Maldonado was sentenced to 18 years for all charges, and the sentences will run concurrently.
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