Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty in Murder of Man and Pregnant Wife

A 22-year-old drug trafficker, Benjamin Madrigal-Birrueta, pleaded guilty on Monday to federal charges in connection with the killing of a man and his pregnant wife. The victims, Cesar Armando Murillo, 44, and Maira Sofia Hernandez, 33, were murdered to prevent them from testifying in a San Diego, California, United States drug trafficking case.

Federal prosecutors stated that both victims died from multiple gunshots to the head. Their bodies were buried in a desert area near Yakima, Washington, United States. Madrigal-Birrueta is scheduled to be sentenced in 2026. The plea agreement also confirmed that the unborn child of Hernandez, who was six months pregnant at the time, died as a result of the attack.

According to court documents, Madrigal-Birrueta played a leading role in a drug trafficking enterprise that involved using stolen vehicles to smuggle drugs through San Diego-area ports of entry. The investigation into this drug smuggling operation brought federal agents to Yakima, Washington, where Murillo and Hernandez were interviewed in August 2022.

The plea agreement details that Murillo was fatally shot by Madrigal-Birrueta and his co-conspirators on August 28, 2022, at a ranch near Yakima. Less than a week later, Madrigal-Birrueta convinced a visibly pregnant Hernandez to visit the ranch, claiming that Murillo wanted to see her. She was subsequently killed at the ranch by co-conspirators, and both victims were buried nearby under Madrigal-Birrueta’s direction.

Bodies were recovered in the fall of 2023 after over a year of search efforts. The case highlights federal authorities’ ongoing efforts to investigate and prosecute crimes linked to organized drug trafficking in the United States.