Aaron Martinez was a 35-year-old electrician, horse rancher, and dedicated family man. A Hispanic man who was born in Mexico and later became a U.S. citizen, he had moved with his family to Forney, Texas, about two years before his death to build his dream: a horse training ranch. He and his wife, Priscilla, had two children, April and Aaron Jr. His passion was for horses, but he also ran his own business, JVC Electric.
On May 1, 2023, the day after he and his wife celebrated their
shared birthday, Martinez was shot and killed. Around 12:20 p.m., deputies from the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting in the 9800 block of Neal Road and found Martinez deceased inside his pickup truck near his home. He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, with some reports stating he was shot up to 30 times. His family said he was on his way home for lunch when the attack occurred.
As deputies arrived, they saw Martinez’s neighbor, Trevor McEuen, then 30, driving away from the scene. After a brief pursuit, McEuen stopped his vehicle but refused to get out, leading to a standoff with law enforcement. SWAT teams were called, and after negotiations, McEuen surrendered and was taken into custody. According to arrest documents, he later admitted to the shooting.
The killing followed months of escalating conflict. Martinez’s family reported that soon after they moved in, McEuen began a campaign of harassment, telling them that Hispanics were not welcome in the community. Martinez’s father, Salvador, said McEuen would drive by with a large gun in his truck window, pointing it at them. Police records showed that law enforcement had been called to the properties multiple times for disturbances, shots fired, and harassment in the year leading up to the murder. Martinez’s family and U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro called for the killing to be investigated as a hate crime.
McEuen was charged with capital murder. After being released on bond, he was scheduled to stand trial on May 5, 2025. That morning, however, he cut off his court-ordered ankle monitor and fled, sparking a nearly month-long manhunt. He was recaptured on June 2 after an hours-long standoff at his grandparents' home, where he was found hiding in a muddy hole under the house.
McEuen’s trial began in October 2025. He testified that he acted in self-defense, but prosecutors presented video evidence of him admitting to the shooting. A Kaufman County jury found Trevor McEuen guilty of capital murder.
He was sentenced to life in prison. The case is considered closed as of the conviction and sentencing in October 2025, though McEuen’s defense team indicated an appeal was likely.
