Day 2 of the murder trial is underway in the case involving Houston mother Maria Jimenez-Rodriguez, who disappeared in 2018. Erik Arceneaux is charged with her murder.
Yesterday, jurors heard testimony from Maria’s sister, Gloria.
Today, the jury has heard from Maria’s brother, her daughter’s babysitter, and two HPD Detectives who worked the missing persons case when Maria first disappeared.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare is prosecuting the case alongside Chief of Staff Lauren Byrne. Prosecutors say evidence, including videos, cell phone records, and Arceneaux’s own statements, links him to the crime.
Arceneaux was charged in 2019 but disappeared for years before being arrested in 2023. Maria has never been found. Prosecutors believe her remains were disposed of in a bayou.
Throughout yesterday and today’s testimony, Arceneaux has sat in the courtroom showing little expression, spending much of the time writing on a notepad.
