The last of three defendants who were indicted on capital murder in the killings and burning of two men in 2020 in south Fort Worth on Wednesday pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Jesus Hernandez, 25, was sentenced in Criminal District Court No. 3 to 10 years in prison under plea bargain terms negotiated by the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office and the defendant’s defense attorneys.

George Vasquez, 21, in November pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and was sentenced to 40 years in prison in the case. Ma Ney Gay, 22, last week pleaded guilty to kidnapping and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The bodies of Za Htoo and Snay Gay were found on Oct. 10, 2020.

If convicted of capital murder, Hernandez, Vasquez and Ma Ney Gay would have been sentenced to life without parole, the automatic punishment in cases in which a district attorney’s office waives the death penalty.

Hernandez was indicted on capital murder of multiple persons under the law of parties that holds a person criminally responsible for the conduct of another person if the defendant solicits, encourages, direct or aids the other person to commit an offense.

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Hernandez’s role was to drive the co-defendants to and from the killing scenes, his attorney, Warren St. John, said in an interview with a reporter. In an interview with police detectives, Hernandez described driving Vasquez and Ma Gay to the scenes.

A co-defendant threatened to kill Hernandez if he did not drive, St. John said.

“He was compelled by fear to participate,” said St. John, who, with Brett Boone, was appointed to represent Hernandez.

Burmese immigrants who lived together in Fort Worth, Htoo and Snay Gay were separately killed and later set on fire near railroad tracks in a park off of Interstate 820 and, about three miles away, in an alley between houses off of Hemphill Street.

Hernandez provided an account of the killings. It is included in arrest warrant affidavits written by a Fort Worth police detective.

Snay Gay and Htoo were slain because their assailants believed that the victims were snitches, according to Hernandez.

A couple passing by in Echo Lake Park found Snay Gay’s body near railroad tracks about 50 yards from a walking path. When police arrived, the 26-year-old’s body still smoldered. He had been stabbed in his chest, abdomen and neck.

Htoo’s body was in high grass in the 4700 block of South Adams Street. The 23-year-old victim had been shot and was face down in one of two areas of the alley that had been set on fire.

Hernandez said that he drove his vehicle with Vasquez and a person police suggest was Htoo to a location he later pointed out as the South Adams Street alley. Vasquez and Htoo got out of the car, and Vasquez shot him, according to Hernandez’s account.

Vasquez later bragged to others that “he caught a body.” Ma Gay, whom Hernandez knows as Sawhtoo, was pleased, according to the affidavit.

Hernandez said that Vasquez later admitted to stabbing Snay Gay, although Hernandez did not use the victim’s name.

Hernandez said that hours later he drove Ma Gay and Vasquez to both locations so that they could burn the bodies and destroy evidence. Hernandez told detectives that he believed the killings had to do with the victims being snitches, according to the affidavit, which does not offer other information on such a motivation.

Hernandez said that at the alley, he saw Ma Gay and Vasquez move Htoo’s body away from the street.

The affidavit offers less information about the circumstances of Snay Gay’s death than it does on Htoo’s killing. It includes an account from Hernandez in which he describes driving Ma Gay and Vasquez to a residence where Vasquez walked an Asian man to the car. Hernandez said that he drove to Echo Lake Park, where Ma Gay and Vasquez walked the Asian man, who police suggest was Snay Gay, into brush.

Assistant Criminal District Attorney Robert Huseman prosecuted the case.