PASADENA, Texas – Court documents indicate prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a man accused of sexually assaulting and murdering a 11-year-old girl in Pasadena in 2023.

Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez is charged with capital murder for the death of 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez.

What happened

On Aug. 12, 2023, police were dispatched to an apartment in the 1000 block of Main in Pasadena.

Maria’s father had called police and said he found his daughter and she wasn’t breathing. Officers and paramedics arrived and tried to revive the child, but were unsuccessful and she was later pronounced dead.

RELATED: Mugshot released of 18-year-old accused of strangling, sexually assaulting 11-year-old girl in Pasadena

Maria’s father told police they had been talking on the phone that day

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