Guilty on All 5 Counts: Wisconsin Jury Convicts Man Who Told Police His Drugs Were Tied to Mexico’s CJNG in Green Bay-Area Wildlife Killing
A jury in Oconto County, Wisconsin, found Manuel Antonio Herrera-Hernandez guilty on all five counts Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, WBAY reported. The 37-year-old told investigators his drugs were tied to Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel. He was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, drug offenses and bail jumping in the 2021 shooting death of a man in the Green Bay Shores State Wildlife Area in Little Suamico, just north of Green Bay.
The verdict
According to WBAY, jurors came back into the courtroom just after 3:15 p.m. Thursday after about four hours of deliberation. Testimony had ended the day before. Jurors heard jury instructions and closing arguments on Thursday before they began deliberating. WBAY said no sentencing date had been announced.
The state’s case relied heavily on recorded audio and transcripts, presented through testimony from a retired special agent, according to WBAY. The defense called at least one expert witness. Herrera-Hernandez chose not to testify after the judge warned him about his constitutional rights. The judge denied a defense motion to dismiss the charges.
What prosecutors said happened
Prosecutors say Herrera-Hernandez admitted to investigators that he shot the victim during an argument over unpaid drug money, WBAY reported. He told authorities he drove the man from Green Bay to the remote wildlife area, where there was a struggle over a gun and it fired. He said he left without calling 911 because he believed the victim had a firearm and could call for help himself.
The cartel link and the case still pending
WBAY reported that Herrera-Hernandez told authorities he received narcotics tied to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). He still faces separate felony drug charges in Brown County, where a status conference is set for October. Those charges stem from his May 2021 arrest in a drug investigation. As The Narco Blog reported on Sept. 30, citing WBAY’s 2021 coverage, investigators seized more than 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine plus heroin, fentanyl and cocaine in that arrest.
Sources
- WBAY, “Suspected Mexican cartel member found guilty on all counts in Oconto County court,” Oct. 1, 2026.
- WBAY, “Both sides rest in murder trial of suspected Mexican cartel member in Oconto County,” Sept. 30, 2026.
- WBAY, “Criminal complaint details homicide charge against suspected cartel member,” June 7, 2021.
- Photos: Brown County Jail, via WBAY; WLUK/Tim Flanigan, via FOX 11 News.
Reported Oct. 1, 2026, from WBAY’s coverage listed above. The Narco Blog has not reviewed the court records or the verdict form. Herrera-Hernandez has not been sentenced and may appeal. He is presumed innocent of the separate Brown County drug charges. The cartel link rests on his own reported statement to investigators; no court has found that he worked for the CJNG.