Jury returns guilty verdict for man charged with murder in 2022 case of missing mom of 4

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Dulce Martinez was last seen in October 2022. Now, more than three years after her disappearance, the man charged in connection with her case has been found guilty of murder, according to court records.

On Thursday, after deliberating for two and a half hours, a jury returned a guilty verdict for Aldo Ramirez.

The video above is from a previous report.

Martinez was last seen on the evening of Oct. 1, 2022, leaving the McDonald's she worked at in Hempstead, according to records.

Several days later, on Oct. 13, 2022, records show Ramirez was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence in her case, and he would later also be charged with murder. Investigators said that the following day, Ramirez likely moved and disposed of her body.

During one of his first court appearances, it was revealed he was seen at his apartment moving a heavy object wrapped in a rug, secured by duct tape, and putting it in her Chevrolet SUV.

Later, Ramirez's SUV was found on the southeast side of Houston without the carpet, but with blood stains in the car. It was also revealed that Ramirez and Martinez were described as friends who were romantically involved, but not boyfriend and girlfriend.

Though her body has still not been found, a jury trial for Ramirez started on Feb. 13. In that time, the Harris County District Attorney's Office said prosecutors also played surveillance video for jurors, showing the last time Martinez was seen alive.

Jurors will now decide Ramirez's punishment, which he faces five years to life in prison.

SEE ALSO:

Man charged in disappearance of missing woman, who was last seen leaving job in Hempstead

Questions remain concerning whereabouts of missing mother of 4