On July 3, 2022, 34-year-old Duvan Betancourth-Gonzalez, a male of Hispanic ethnicity, was found dead in his car near Interstate 35 in Central Austin, Texas. The Austin Police Department received a call from Betancourth-Gonzalez around 10:20 p.m., stating that he had been robbed by multiple people and needed help. When officers arrived at the scene, they found two abandoned cars and Betancourth-Gonzalez in one of them with gunshot wounds.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The preliminary investigation revealed that the incident began as a robbery and escalated into a murder. Witnesses reported seeing four people running from the scene and heading north on I-35. APD identified a person of interest in the case, but no arrests have been made. The Travis County Medical Examiner's office conducted an autopsy and determined the cause of death to be gunshot wounds.
On July 15, 2022, Juan Eduardo Martinez, a 20-year-old male, was charged with first-degree felony murder in connection with Betancourth-Gonzalez's death. According to the arrest affidavit, Martinez was allegedly involved in the robbery and shooting. Investigators found Betancourth-Gonzalez's passport, wallet, and a large amount of cash in Martinez's car. The case is being investigated as Austin's 36th homicide of 2022.
The investigation is ongoing, and APD continues to seek information and video footage related to the incident. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact APD Homicide or Crime Stoppers.
