An undocumented Mexican national living in Yakima, Wash., pleaded guilty in federal court to murdering a man, his pregnant wife, and their unborn child in connection with a drug trafficking conspiracy, the Justice Department announced.
Benjamin Madrigal-Birrueta, 22, admitted to fatally shooting 44-year-old Cesar Murillo on August 28, 2022, during an argument at a ranch outside Yakima. He and his co-conspirators buried Murillo’s body near the property. Days later, Madrigal-Birrueta lured Maira Hernandez, 33, to the ranch by claiming her husband was waiting. When Hernandez arrived, visibly pregnant, his associates shot her multiple times in the head. She was buried next to Murillo, and the unborn child died in the attack.
Prosecutors said the killings stemmed from an unpaid drug debt. Madrigal-Birrueta admitted the murders were committed while he was engaged in trafficking narcotics.
🚨Mexican National Admits Murdering Couple and their Unborn Child During Drug Trafficking Conspiracy🚨
Benjamin Madrigal-Birrueta, an undocumented Mexican national living in Yakima, Washington, admitted in federal court today that he murdered a man and his six-months-pregnant… pic.twitter.com/vr5gC5MtEL— FBI San Diego (@FBISanDiego) September 23, 2025
The case grew out of a broader federal investigation that began with drug seizures at San Diego ports of entry in 2021 and eventually traced activity to Yakima. Homeland Security Investigations special agents interviewed Murillo and Hernandez shortly before their deaths. A year-long search, aided by radar, aircraft, cadaver dogs, and forensic experts, led to the discovery of their remains in September 2023.
During the investigation, authorities seized methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, firearms — including a machine gun — and body armor from Madrigal-Birrueta’s operation.
Madrigal-Birrueta faces mandatory minimum sentences of 20 years to life, or the death penalty, for each murder. He also faces a mandatory life sentence or death for causing the death of a child in utero. Sentencing is scheduled for March 27, 2026.
Co-defendant Ricardo Orizaba-Zendejas is charged as an accessory after the fact and with drug conspiracy. His trial is set to begin on October 27, 2025.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Wong, Alexandra Foster, Mario Peia, and Brandon Kimura. Agencies assisting include Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the ATF, and multiple state and local departments in Washington and California.
