Waco, TX – Cyle Flores, 18, was sentenced to 25 years in state prison after pleading guilty to murder on Thursday. Flores is one of four individuals involved in a scheme to lure a man to his death through deceptive social media tactics.
In 2021, he and three accomplices, Jeremiah Marquez, 18, Justin Angel Hernandez, 22, and Edgar Alfonso Castillo, 17, used Facebook Messenger to entice 22-year-old Israel Martinez to a home on Gurley Avenue, where he was murdered.
Flores is the last member of the group to accept a plea deal, avoiding a trial.
The initial charges for each defendant included capital murder. Prosecutors ultimately negotiated lesser murder pleas for the defendants, leading to varying sentences with the possibility of parole.
The crime transpired on September 19, 2021, when Martinez was misled into believing he was meeting a woman named “Kaelani Moore.” This identity was part of a catfishing scheme orchestrated by Hernandez and the three teenagers.
The scheme involved communication through a fake account which led to Martinez being instructed to transfer money to a different app user.
Detectives traced the fake profile back to Hernandez, who used the name “Kaelani Moore” to deceive Martinez.
Martinez arrived at the location around 10:00 PM, where he was shot multiple times with various firearms from inside the residence while the defendants were reportedly escaping through a back window.
Following the murder, the account used to lure Martinez was deleted.
Law enforcement believes Hernandez and Marquez were the shooters, although all four participants faced similar charges.
While the minors could not face the death penalty, Hernandez could have but accepted a plea deal instead.
Hernandez and Marquez received 35-year sentences, Castillo received 30 years, and Flores received 25 years, with all to serve a minimum of half their sentences before becoming eligible for parole.
Prosecutors emphasized their commitment to addressing gun violence in the community.