Jesús Ledesma Aguilar, born on November 28, 1963, was a Mexican national involved in drug trafficking operations between Texas and Mississippi. He initially collaborated with Rick Esparza, a longtime friend, in transporting marijuana. However, tensions arose when Esparza began working independently.

On June 10, 1995, Aguilar, accompanied by his 17-year-old nephew, Christopher Quiroz, entered the Harlingen, Texas, trailer home of Leonardo and Annette Chavez. The couple was staying there while Esparza and his wife were out of town. In the early morning hours, Aguilar and Quiroz shot and severely beat both victims using a .22-caliber pistol. Leonardo was shot in the back of the head, and Annette was shot through the neck. Unbeknownst to the assailants, the couple's 9-year-old son, Leo Jr., witnessed the murders while hiding under a table, and their 22-month-old son was asleep in another room. 

Aguilar was apprehended and charged with capital murder. During the trial, Leo Jr. testified against him, providing a firsthand account of the events. Aguilar was convicted on July 5, 1995, and sentenced to death. His nephew, Quiroz, received a life sentence for his role in the crime. ​

Aguilar's case gained international attention when it was revealed that Texas authorities had failed to inform him of his right to consular assistance under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Mexico filed a lawsuit against the United States in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), resulting in the 2004 Avena decision. The ICJ ruled that the U.S. had violated its obligations by not notifying 51 Mexican nationals, including Aguilar, of their consular rights.

Despite the ICJ's ruling, Aguilar's appeals were denied, and he was executed by lethal injection on May 24, 2006, at the Huntsville Unit in Texas. His execution marked the 365th in Texas since the reinstatement of the death penalty.