FORT WORTH, Texas — A Tarrant County jury has found Alfredo Cantu Martinez, 45, guilty of capital murder in connection with the 2024 shooting deaths of two men in Fort Worth. Under Texas law, Martinez was automatically sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The case was prosecuted by Tarrant County Assistant District Attorneys D.J. Estes and Lauren Lawrence.
Deadly Meeting in Fort Worth
According to prosecutors, the violence unfolded on April 23, 2024, when 26-year-old Martin Hernandez Jr. picked up Martinez, who is his cousin, in Dallas. The two traveled to Fort Worth intending to visit several people, including 24-year-old Michael Cantu.
Hernandez and Martinez met Cantu outside his home near an alleyway. Investigators said the three men walked into the alley, out of sight of Cantu’s girlfriend, who remained nearby in a vehicle with its hood raised.
Moments later, gunshots broke the silence.
Cantu’s girlfriend discovered both men lying in the alley suffering from gunshot wounds and immediately called 9-1-1.
Cantu, shot in the chest, was pronounced dead at the scene. Hernandez, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds, was transported to a hospital where he later died.
Martinez fled but was quickly located by officers running from the area and taken into custody.
Prosecutors’ Argument
During trial, prosecutors told jurors Martinez intentionally took both men’s lives.“Martinez stole the lives of Michael Cantu and Martin Hernandez by shooting them with a firearm,” Assistant District Attorney Lauren Lawrence said in court.
Assistant District Attorney D.J. Estes urged jurors to consider the brutality of the crime.“You have to ask yourself — would any of you do what he did that day? The answer is no,” Estes said, “We should all be frightened of that man. He’s guilty. He took two lives.”
Investigation and Support Team
The prosecution team also included DA Investigator Ben Lopez and Victim Advocate Imelda Lopez. The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office credited the Fort Worth Police Department for its investigation and work bringing the case to trial.
With the verdict, Martinez will spend the remainder of his life in prison without parole, bringing legal closure to the families of both victims nearly two years after the deadly shooting.
