Tyler Man Gets 45 Years in Connection with 2021 Fatal Shooting of 17-Year-Old

October 13, 2023 - Tyler, TX - Lorenzo Liberato Martinez was sentenced to 45 years’ confinement in Judge Austin Reeve Jackson’s Court for his role in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Jesse McNeely. Martinez pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery, which led to the death of McNeely.

The incident unfolded on July 7, 2021, near the UT Tyler campus, where Martinez and his co-conspirators, Andres Urrutia and Jason Rhodes, attempted to rob McNeely outside his home. Tyler police revealed that Martinez had driven the car to the scene of the robbery and actively participated in the altercation. Urrutia was identified as the shooter, while Rhodes drove the getaway car.

Martinez's sentencing follows guilty pleas from his co-defendants. Urrutia accepted a life sentence after pleading guilty to capital murder on June 12, while Rhodes, who pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery on October 6, received a 20-year sentence.

CWJ Strategies