RICHMOND, Texas (Covering Katy News) — A Rosenberg woman who prosecutors say drugged her husband and let her brother and another man into their home to kill him has been sentenced to life in prison, nearly six years after a murder plot investigators say was disguised as a robbery.
Irene Banda, 59, pleaded guilty to murder in the Sept. 11, 2020, death of her husband, Ramiro Martinez. Jorge Castellanos, 38, who prosecutors said drove Banda's brother from Corpus Christi to Rosenberg and participated in the killing, also pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Judge J. Christian Becerra of the 434th District Court determined their punishment in separate hearings, according to the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office.
The plot was followed by a series of mistakes that helped investigators unravel the case: a missed shot at the sleeping victim, a Walmart trip captured on surveillance video, a receipt left in a rental car, an incorrect license plate number given to police and a deleted "outside. open." text message that investigators eventually recovered.
"The truth finds a way to escape even the most evil plots," District Attorney Brian Middleton said. "I commend the great investigative work to expose the truth and allow us to speak for the victim."
Who's who in the case
- Irene Banda: Martinez's wife. Prosecutors said she helped plan the killing, drugged Martinez and let the men into the home. She was sentenced to life in prison.
- Ramiro Martinez: Banda's husband and the murder victim.
- Arnold DeLeon: Banda's brother. Prosecutors said he traveled to Rosenberg to kill Martinez and shot him in the back. He died in 2022 before he could be charged.
- Jorge Castellanos: A friend of Banda's brother and son. Prosecutors said he drove DeLeon to Rosenberg and shot Martinez in the head. He was sentenced to 60 years.
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Fort Bend District Attorney
Irene Banda, 59, pleaded guilty to murder in the death of her husband Ramiro Martinez.
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Fort Bend District Attorney
Jorge Castellanos, 38, pleaded guilty to murder in the death of Ramiro Martinez.
The plan begins in Corpus Christi
According to evidence presented by prosecutors, Banda met with her brother, DeLeon, Castellanos and Banda's son at DeLeon's Corpus Christi home the day before Martinez was killed. Banda told DeLeon that Martinez had assaulted her, and DeLeon said he was going to do something about it.
Prosecutors said the group agreed that DeLeon would travel to Rosenberg to kill Martinez and Castellanos would drive him. DeLeon was a double amputee who used prosthetic limbs. Banda's son did not make the trip because he was on probation for immigrant smuggling and wearing an ankle monitor.
Banda returned to Rosenberg on Sept. 11. That evening, prosecutors said, she gave Martinez alprazolam, a prescription sedative. Martinez was vigilant about using the home's alarm system, and prosecutors said Banda knew the men would have difficulty getting inside if he remained alert.
Meanwhile, Banda's brother and Castellanos drove from Corpus Christi to the Fort Bend County area in a rented red Veloster. Before going to the house, they stopped at a Richmond Walmart, where prosecutors said Castellanos bought latex gloves and T-shirts.
Shortly before the killing, DeLeon sent his sister a text message: "outside. open."
Prosecutors said Banda let the two men through the front door. She had also left a gun in the entryway for them.
A missed shot leads to a struggle
DeLeon took the gun to the back of the house, where Martinez was sleeping.
Based on evidence at the scene, prosecutors believe Banda's brother fired at Martinez while he was still in bed but missed. The shot woke Martinez, who fought back.
Castellanos entered the bedroom and found DeLeon and Martinez struggling. Prosecutors said Castellanos tried to get between them and fell to the floor, with Martinez landing on top of him.
DeLeon then shot Martinez in the back, prosecutors said. He handed the gun to Castellanos, who shot Martinez in the head.
Prosecutors said the group then tried to make the killing look like a robbery in which Banda was also a victim.
Banda asked Castellanos to tie her up. He wrapped a computer cord around her wrists in a way that allowed her to easily escape, according to prosecutors.
DeLeon left in the rented Veloster while Castellanos loaded several of Martinez's guns into Banda's Ford F-150 and drove away in the truck. Prosecutors said Banda told Castellanos she would wait before reporting the F-150 stolen. Castellanos eventually returned to Corpus Christi, and the truck and guns were sold.
The cover story begins to unravel
When Rosenberg police responded to Banda's 911 call, a neighbor gave investigators an important clue: a red Veloster had been seen outside the house.
Banda also gave police the license plate number for her supposedly stolen F-150. But investigators could not find the truck on license plate readers.
They eventually discovered why. Prosecutors said Banda had changed two characters in the plate number she gave police.
After investigators obtained the correct plate number from insurance documents, cameras showed the F-150 traveling south along with the red Veloster.
Police traced the Veloster to Castellanos, who had rented it. The Nueces County Sheriff's Office later found the car abandoned on a rural road. Inside was a receipt from the Richmond Walmart.
Investigators obtained store surveillance video showing Castellanos making the purchases, according to prosecutors. Police eventually obtained a warrant for him, and Castellanos was arrested while entering the United States at the Hidalgo border crossing.
Deleted text helps build case against Banda
Despite the evidence against Castellanos, Banda was not immediately charged. Prosecutors said investigators initially lacked enough evidence to establish her role in the killing.
That changed years later after Castellanos agreed to provide investigators with information about the crime. Authorities obtained a warrant for Banda's arrest in March 2024.
Cellphone extractions and call records corroborated portions of Castellanos' account, prosecutors said. Among the evidence was the message DeLeon sent Banda immediately before the killing: "outside. open."
Prosecutors said Banda had deleted the message from her phone. Investigators did not discover it until a second extraction using additional technology recovered the text.
DeLeon died of natural causes in July 2022 before he could be charged.
A neighbor of DeLeon's later pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence for helping dispose of the rented Veloster on the rural road in Nueces County and was placed on probation.
Abuse claims disputed at sentencing
At Banda's sentencing hearing, Martinez's two oldest children from a previous marriage testified about years they spent in Banda's care while their father traveled extensively for work. According to the DA's office, both described suffering physical, mental and emotional abuse from Banda during childhood.
Banda's defense attorneys argued that Martinez had abused her and presented expert testimony in support of that claim.
Prosecutors challenged that evidence. The DA's office said testing performed on Banda was shown to be invalid because of the nature of her responses and the possibility that she was malingering, meaning intentionally exaggerating or fabricating symptoms.
Prosecutors also introduced messages extracted from Banda's phone that they said undermined the abuse claims. The messages showed Banda flirting with at least six people in the months before the murder, including one person she met at a hotel about a month before Martinez was killed, according to the DA's office.
Special Crimes Chief Traci Bennett and Deputy Chief Prosecutor Ashley Harkness prosecuted the cases.
The DA's office said, by law, Banda and Castellanos must serve at least half of their sentences before they can be considered for parole.
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