Intense Investigation Leads San Angelo Police to Capture 2nd Murder Suspect

SAN ANGELO, TX – After months of investigating, the second suspect in the Jacob Hernandez murder has been arrested.

According to court documents, on Jan. 21, officers with the San Angelo Police Department arrested David Rodriguez, 23, for the murder of Jacob Hernandez.

Hernandez was murdered on May 26, 2021 during a burglary. At the time only one suspect, Francisco Morales was arrested. He has since been indicted for Capital Murder. If convicted, Morales could face the death penalty.

Police identified Rodriguez after months of investigating. At the original time of the death, investigators found a ring door bell camera at the Nueva Vista Apartments, the place of the murder. In the video, two men were seen walking out of the apartment in masks and a black adidas bag carrying pistols. 

Morales was caught after police found a necklace that was left at the murder scene. On the necklace was a picture of Morales' deceased grandmother. He was arrested at his home in Abilene and is currently in the Taylor County Jail.

Police met with Morales in the Jail on Dec. 1. He agreed to speak with the officers but said he would not give up his partner. Morales told police that he was at the murder scene but did not shoot Hernandez. He claims that he drove to San Angelo to "hit a lick" with the unnamed suspect. He told police that he was attempting to rob a woman of marijuana.

When he arrived, Morales went and picked up his partner. The partner drove the car since he was from San Angelo and knew the area. This brought the total number of people in the vehicle to four including Morales and his partner in crime. 

The group then went to meet up their arms dealer, Mykah Saldivar, to get guns. The two acquired a pistol and then went to the Nueva Vista Apartments to commit the crime. Morales did not give up his partner but said that him and Saldivar has communicated through Facebook.

Warrants were then issued for Saldivar's Facebook and Cellphone. This led police to find a contact known as David Rodriguez.

In the messages police found evidence that the group had planned a meet up to acquire tools for the robbery. Morales and Rodriguez discussed getting a car and guns. A majority of messages were deleted after Rodriguez sent Morales a message saying "Delete these messages." 

A search warrant for Rodriguez's phone pinged him, along with Morales and the others in the vehicle, at the apartment complex that night. This gave police enough evidence to get an arrest warrant for Rodriguez.

He is now being held in the Tom Green County Detention Facility on a $1 million bond.