WHITEHALL, LEHIGH COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The Office of the District Attorney in Lehigh County says a Carbon County woman pled guilty in a Whitehall homicide investigation.
Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced on Monday 52-year-old Brenda Rodriguez from Palmerton pled guilty in a hearing before Judge Robert L. Steinberg to a felony charge of Conspiracy Aggravated Assault.
Authorities say the remaining charges against Rodriguez would be dropped as part of the plea deal.
Rodriguez will be sentenced at 9:30 a.m. on November 5 and possibly could be facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, according to the release.
Officials explain that Rodriguez was the wife of the victim, 46-year-old Palmerton resident Hector Garcia Gomez, who was fatally shot after 6:00 p.m. on December 7, 2024, in the Loco Hot Deals parking lot, found on the 1100 block of MacArthur Road.
Police found Garcia Gomez with several gunshot wounds in his abdomen, and he later succumbed to his injuries and was declared dead, officials explained.
It was found by the Lehigh County Coroner Garcia Gomez died from numerous gunshot wounds, and his death was ruled a homicide, authorities say.
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The release states that video surveillance footage showed Garcia Gomez's car entering the parking lot, and while he was inside the store, Rodriguez remained in the vehicle and appeared to be on her phone.
Through their investigation, officials found that Rodriguez was giving information through cell phone describing her husband's location to Liz Marie Pacheco.
Liz Marie Pacheco then relayed the information to Christian Martinez-Ramos, who arrived moments later in the parking lot, authorities add.
Officials say the investigation showed that as Garcia Gomez left the store and began to get into the car, Martinez-Ramos drove his car through the parking lot and parked behind Garcia Gomez.
The release explains that gunshots were fired from the Martinez-Ramos car at Garcia Gomez, striking him several times.
After the shooting, video surveilance showed Rodrigez stayed in the car for more than 22 seconds before getting out, adjusting her clothing and hair, and picking up several items before slowly walking to the store.
Martinez-Ramos and Pacheco are both awaiting trial on charges relating to the homicide, the release explained.
The District Attorney's Office says that the case was investigated by Whitehall Township Police Detective Lindsay Yetter, Lehigh County Homicide Task Force Detectives James Bruchak, Amaury Almonte, and Timothy Salgado, and was is prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney James A. Augustine.
