Gustavo Sandoval was sentenced to death by the State of Texas for the murder of a Border Patrol Agent. According to court documents the Border Patrol Agent Javier Vega was on vacation with his family when he was shot by Gustavo Sandoval. Sandoval would also shoot Javier Vega father who thankfully survived the shooting. After the shooting Gustavo Sandoval would flee with an accomplice Ismael Hernandez Vallejo who would later be sentenced to fifty years in prison for his role and Sandoval was sentenced to death.
Gustavo Sandoval 2021 Information
| Name | Sandoval, Gustavo Tijerina | |
| TDCJ Number | 999619 | |
| Date of Birth | 12/22/1983 | |
| Date Received | 10/09/2019 | |
| Age (when Received) | 36 | |
| Education Level (Highest Grade Completed) | 6 | |
| Date of Offense | 08/03/2014 | |
| Age (at the time of Offense) | 30 | |
| County | Cameron | |
| Race | Hispanic | |
| Gender | Male | |
| Hair Color | Black | |
| Height (in Feet and Inches) | 5′8″ | |
| Weight (in Pounds) | 217 | |
| Eye Color | Brown | |
| Native County | Tamaulipas | |
| Native State | Mexico |
Gustavo Sandoval More News
A jury on Tuesday decided Gustavo Tijerina Sandoval deserves the death penalty for the 2014 murder of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
Tijerina Sandoval, 34, was convicted last week in the death of Javier Vega Jr., the border agent who was shot to death while fishing with family in a rural area near Harlingen.
On Aug. 3, 2014, Tijerina Sandoval and another man attempted to rob the Vega family at gunpoint, when Vega Jr., a veteran of the Marine Corps., pulled out his weapon. After a brief exchange of gunfire Vega Jr. was shot in the chest and died on the way to the hospital.
In addition to receiving the death penalty, Tijerina Sandoval was sentenced to life for attempted capital murder regarding the others in the Vega party. The Border Patrol agent’s father, Javier Vega Sr., was shot in the back during the firefight.
Vega’s widow, Andrea Brown Vega, and two of their three sons, as well as his mother and father, were all present and testified during Tijerina Sandoval’s trial, held in the courtroom of 197th state District Judge Migdalia Lopez.
Early in the proceedings, the judge issued a gag order prohibiting anyone connected to the trial from talking to the media. That order was still in place Tuesday, pending the formal handing down of the sentence.
Before the trial began and before the judge issued the gag order, the family declined comment but a Border Patrol union spokesman issued a statement.
“It is a very difficult time for the entire Vega family,” Chris Cabrera, a spokesman for the National Border Patrol Council, said Feb. 13 as jury selection started. “We, like the family, just want justice to be served.”
Vega’s father and mother, Marie Vega, mounted a lengthy fight to have their son’s death considered as having occurred in the line of duty, enlisting the help of several Texas congressmen and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. In September 2016, a U.S. Border Patrol committee determined that Vega died in the line of duty.
Late last year the South Texas immigration checkpoint in Sarita, where Vega was stationed, was renamed in his honor.