Lehigh County Woman Admits to Plotting Husband’s Murder with Neighbors of Woman He was Having an Affair with

The wife of a Carbon County man has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit aggravated assault charge after planning his murder in Whitehall, authorities said.

Brenda Rodriguez, 51, of Palmerton, appeared Monday before Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas Judge Robert L. Steinberg.

Other charges of felony criminal solicitation of homicide and felony aggravated assault were withdrawn as part of a plea arrangement with Rodriguez, the DA’s Office said. She faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, the DA’s Office said.

Co-defendants 35-year-old Christian Martinez-Ramos and 37-year-old Liz Marie Pacheco, both of the 500 block of North Fifth Street in Allentown, are each charged with felony criminal homicide and aggravated assault, along with related charges.

Pacheco Told Rodriguez Her Husband was Having an Affair and That She Lived Next to His Mistress

Rodriguez in December 2024 joined the two other co-defendants in a plot to kill 46-year-old Hector Manuel Garcia Gomez. Pacheco allegedly told Rodriguez her husband was having an affair with a woman from Allentown.

Pacheco and Martinez-Ramos, who formerly were in a relationship, lived next door to the alleged mistress, according to court records.

Just after 6 p.m. Dec. 7, Rodriguez stayed in the couple’s Nissan Rogue as Garcia Gomez went into a store in the 1100 block of MacArthur Road in Whitehall, according to police.

When he returned and got inside the car, shots were fired from a car driven by Martinez-Ramos that had pulled up behind the Nissan, investigators allege.

The gunfire struck Garcia Gomez in the abdomen. He was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Salisbury Township, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later, the DA’s office said.

Rodriguez Provided Her Husband’s Location to the Killer

Investigators later obtained video surveillance footage, which showed Garcia Gomez’s Nissan arriving in the parking lot. While he was inside the store, Rodriguez called Pacheco from her cellphone and provided location information to Martinez-Ramos, who arrived minutes later, according to court records.

After Garcia Gomez was shot, the footage reportedly showed Rodriguez remain inside the Nissan for more than 22 seconds. Rodriguez then got out of the car, adjusted her clothing and hair, and picked up several items before slowly walking into a store, authorities said.

Rodriguez Initially Claimed She Didn’t Know Who Shot Her Husband or Who Would Want Him Dead

Initially, Rodriguez allegedly told investigators that she didn’t know who shot her husband, nor did she know who would want to shoot him. Additionally, she told investigators her last call to Pacheco that day was before noon, but phone records showed they had communicated just before the shooting, court records state.

Rodriguez eventually admitted to speaking with Pacheco before the shooting, police said. En route to the hospital, Garcia Gomez called the woman he was having an affair with and said “the guy from upstairs shot me,” court records state.

Martinez-Ramos allegedly admitted to investigators shooting Garcia Gomez an unknown amount of times, before fleeing in his friend’s car. He left that vehicle on the side of the road, then got a ride from someone else, police said.

Pacheco was aware of her ex-boyfriend’s intentions and assisted in both the planning and attempted cover-up, investigators said, including assisting with the sale of the vehicle used by Martinez-Ramos during the killing.

Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 5. Both Martinez-Ramos and Pacheco are awaiting trial. Testimony is expected to begin Nov. 17 before Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas Judge Robert L. Steinberg.