Virtual world helps in murder case

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Justice moved swiftly in the case of a man who shot his estranged wife in the head in plain sight in an Austin park last October, and now Hernan Mendieta, 35, is sentenced to 60 years in prison, just three months later.

It was a virtual world created by a witness that showed Austin police what he saw after he jogged in Brushy Creek Park. Thomas Jung works creating virtual worlds for computer games. He was able to reproduce for police via animation what he saw on the morning of Oct. 26, 2010 . His witness information helped in the murder case.

Jung was driving on Brush Creek Road after his morning run in the park when he saw a woman stopped in the driver's seat of a Land Rover SUV. He said a man stood outside the driver's side of her vehicle, pointed a handgun at her head and shot her. Mendieta, the estranged husband of Ruth Rodriguez, 25, then turned and shot at Jung, shattering the window in Jung's car, spraying glass in his face.

Mendieta -- a Honduran citizen whom police said immigrated illegally to the U.S. 10 years ago -- pleaded guilty to the murder of  Rodriguez and the aggravated assault of Jung, a Cedar Park resident.

Police found Mendieta shortly after the shooting walking southbound along the shoulder of west Parmer Boulevard. They found a .38 caliber revolver in his waistband. Police said two rounds were recently fired from the weapon when they found it. Mendieta was read his rights and quickly confessed to the shooting.

The investigation showed Mendieta had kidnapped Rodriguez when she dropped off their 4-year-old son at a childcare facility and forced her to drive to the Brushy Creek area. When Jung spotted him, police said, Mendieta had gotten out of the car to open a gate leading to a private residence, where he claimed he was going to tie up Rodriguez and leave her if she would not agree to move away with him and their son. Rodriguez had locked the doors and was attempting to drive away when Jung drove by.

Rodriguez’s brother and sister reported to police that Mendieta was a jealous person and had a history of physically and verbally abusing Rodriguez. Rodriguez had told them she was going to begin reporting the abuse to police and obtain a protective order.

An autopsy conducted by the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office showed that Rodriguez died from a single gunshot wound to the left temple. Jung recovered from his injuries.

Mendieta was sentenced to 60 years in prison for the murder and 20 years in prison for aggravated assault, sentences to run concurrently. Because he used a firearm in the case, it means he must serve at least 30 years in prison before he is eligible for parole. If he is later released, he will be deported to Honduras.