Man who hid body sentenced
Judge gives him 12 years for helping dispose of corpse
BENTONVILLE — A Rogers man was sentenced to 12 years in prison after admitting to his role in aiding another man in disposing of a body.
Luis Guillermo Rodriguez-Martinez, 26, pleaded guilty Thursday to hindering apprehension, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and battery.
The case stems from the death of 25-year-old Kevin Gonzalez, whose skeletal remains were found March 27, 2020, near Decatur. Gonzalez had been reported missing to Decatur police. He was last seen April 12, 2019, according to court documents.
Karla Benitez-Cruz reported April 15, 2019, she had gone a few days earlier to an apartment with Gonzalez, who went in to take care of money he owed Wilson Figueroa-Matos, according to an affidavit. She said she heard a gunshot and went to the door. Denis Vega, Figueroa-Matos’ roommate, told her everyone had left through the back door, but she knew there were no back doors, according to the affidavit.
Police went to the apartment, and Vega gave officers permission to look around to ensure no one was hurt, the affidavit states.
Rodriguez-Martinez told detectives he was in an apartment when Figueroa-Matos shot Gonzalez once in the head, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Rodriguez-Martinez said he, Vega and Figueroa-Matos put Gonzalez’s body in a car trunk, and he and Figueroa-Matos drove on dirt roads for more than an hour, then dumped the body and covered it with an air mattress, the affidavit states.
Figueroa-Matos, 41, of Fayetteville is charged with capital murder and abuse of a corpse. His case hasn’t been resolved.
Rodriguez-Martinez admitted his guilt at Thursday’s hearing before Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green.
Green was speaking with Rodriguez-Martinez about his constitutional rights when he interrupted her to say he’s guilty of the charges.
The battery charge stems from an encounter Rodriguez-Martinez had with a deputy in the Benton County jail.
Some of Gonzalez’s family members were present in court. Rodriguez-Martinez appeared by video from the jail.
Thomas Gean, deputy prosecutor, read a victim impact statement on behalf of two family members and Gonzalez’s girlfriend.
Maria Saravia, Gonzalez’s mother, said the day her son disappeared was the most painful day of her life. She said in her statement her son should still be here with his family.
“The pain and suffering will never leave me, and I will forever live in this nightmare,” Gean read from Saravia’s statement. “I now live everyday asking God to give me the strength to learn to live with this pain.”
Kenia Melendez, Gonzalez’s girlfriend and the mother of Gonzalez’s now-6-year-old son, said she searched for hours after Gonzalez went missing and even feared he had abandoned her and their son.
“It isn’t fair for a 6-year-old boy to question where his dad is or why his daddy isn’t here to watch our Christmas tree during the holidays,” Gean read from her letter.
Green sentenced Rodriguez-Martinez to 12 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.