Texas jury recommends the death penalty for man convicted of the fatal shooting of a state trooper

EDINBURG, Texas (AP) — A Texas jury has recommended that a south Texas man be sentenced to death for fatally shooting a state trooper in 2019. The Hidalgo County jury that convicted 29-year-old Victor Godinez of capital murder last week returned the death penalty decision early Wednesday. A judge was to formally sentence Godinez on Wednesday afternoon. Godinez was convicted after a 16-day trial for the April 2019 shooting of Trooper Moises Sanchez. Sanchez died of his injuries four months after being shot in the head and shoulder in Edinburg while investigating a vehicle collision in which Godinez fled the scene. The officer was shot after finding Godinez nearby.