Houston man sentenced to life in prison for 2009 cold-case murder

A Houston man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2009 murder of a mother of five, announced Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. Jorge Trevino Cardenas, 52, was convicted after DNA evidence linked him to the crime scene.

"This was a horrific crime when it happened, and no one in law enforcement ever stopped looking for the killer," said Ogg. "Even after the case went cold, investigators kept working on it and when charges were filed, prosecutors were able to get justice for the victim and her family."

Cardenas was already serving time for a separate conviction of sexual assault of a child when he was identified as a suspect through DNA evidence collected at the scene. The murder occurred on April 24, 2009, when Domitila Alvarez visited her family's auto shop alone in Alief. Her body was discovered later that evening with multiple stab wounds.

In 2021, the Houston Police Department's Homicide Division Cold Case Squad reviewed the evidence and matched Cardenas’s DNA with samples found on Alvarez's clothing and other locations at the crime scene.

Assistant District Attorney Christopher Condon prosecuted the case alongside ADA Michael Simons. "DNA does not lie, it does not forget — it waits," Condon stated. "There was a literal blood trail from the victim’s body to Jorge Cardenas."

A witness testified that Cardenas lived near the shop and carried a knife similar to one used in Alvarez's murder. Medical experts confirmed that Alvarez had been killed with a long blade featuring a serrated edge.

Cardenas must serve at least 30 years before being eligible for parole.