COLLEGE STATION MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR MURDER

  

A College Station man was sentenced to life in prison in connection with the May 2019 beating death of his roommate. 

Luis Solis was accused of beating his roommate Osiel Benitez-Herrera to death with a baseball bat.

College Station Police responded to a 9-1-1 call from a neighbor, who said she could hear someone screaming for help from inside the home next door.

She also described a man walking back and forth on the front porch who then ran into the woods.

About 20 minutes later, Solis called 9-1-1 to report his roommate had been hurt badly, but hung up before any identifying information could be obtained. 

Officers arrived on the scene to find what was described as a gruesome death for Benitez-Herrera.

Solis called 9-1-1 again to report he was at a nearby Wal-Mart, and that he arrived home to find Benitez-Herrera already dead.

Police contacted family and friends of both men, and recovered a voicemail that Solis left to his cousin before the 9-1-1 call, where Benitez-Herrera’s cries for help could be heard.

During a further investigation, blood found on the clothing of Solis, and a baseball bat that was known to belong to Solis, were confirmed through DNA testing to belong to Benitez-Herrera.

The jury heard from the medical examiner that the victim’s injuries were consistent with blunt force trauma from a baseball bat.