Court papers allege a Palmerton woman played a key role at the scene leading up to the fatal shooting of her husband in Whitehall.

Brenda Rodriguez, 51, is the third person charged in her husband’s death in December. The court papers detail the actions of the woman, whose husband was having an extramarital affair.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed in the case against Rodriguez:

At 6:05 p.m. Dec. 7, Whitehall Township Police Department responded to Loco Hot Deals in the 1100 block of MacArthur Road, Whitehall, for a shooting. When officers arrived, they found Hector Garcia Gomez, 46, with multiple gunshot wounds to his abdomen. The Palmerton man died two hours later at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Cedar Crest.

Video surveillance of the shooting at Loco Hot Deals shows at 5:48 p.m., Garcia Gomez and his wife arrive at Loco Hot Deals in his black 2019 Nissan Rogue.

Garcia Gomez gets out of the driver’s seat and goes inside the store, while Rodriguez stays in the front passenger seat of the running vehicle.

Rodriguez is seen reaching into her pocket and pulling an object out. She placed a WhatsApp call to another woman.

Cellphone data shows there was also an outgoing call from Rodriguez to Garcia Gomez from 5:53 p.m. to 6:01 p.m.

Rodriguez later explains to Whitehall detectives that Garcia Gomez was at the register so they ended the call.

While Rodriguez was on the phone with Garcia Gomez, a vehicle pulls into the store parking lot, turns its headlights off, and stops about five to six spaces away from Rodriguez’s vehicle.

At 6:03 p.m. Rodriguez looks over her right shoulder in the direction where the suspect vehicle is parked. Garcia Gomez leaves the store and walks to the driver side of his vehicle, standing with the driver side door open.

The suspect vehicle then begins moving toward Garcia Gomez, stops behind the vehicle with the front passenger window open, and the suspect fires multiple rounds.

The suspect, identified as Christian Martinez Ramos, 35, leaves the parking lot and Rodriguez remains inside the vehicle while Garcia Gomez attempts to drive the vehicle, quickly stops, gets out and runs inside Loco Hot Deals.

Rodriguez remains in her seat for 22 more seconds, then gets out of the vehicle, adjusts her clothing and hair then walks around the front of the vehicle, where she picks up items dropped by Garcia Gomez and walks into the store at a normal pace.

At the scene she told Whitehall police that she did not see who shot Garcia Gomez, nor did she know who would want to shoot him.

Rodriguez told police later that Garcia Gomez had been having an extramarital affair with a woman who lives in Allentown, and that the upstairs neighbor has been providing her with information about the affair.

Rodriguez said the woman, Liz Marie Pacheco, 37, lives with her husband, Christian Martinez Ramos, 35.

She said a previous disturbance involved Martinez Ramos and Garcia Gomez on Dec. 4 at the AutoZone at 1167 MacArthur Road in Whitehall.

Whitehall police determined that Garcia Gomez was shopping inside AutoZone when he was approached by Martinez Ramos and an argument ensued. Garcia Gomez reportedly told Martinez Ramos to “come fight me outside like a man.”

The investigation reveals both parties went outside and Garcia Gomez punched Martinez Ramos. A witness at the scene told police Martinez Ramos then instructed a male (believed to be Martinez Ramos’ son) to go into the car and get the gun.

During the interview, Rodriguez confirmed the altercation between Garcia Gomez and Martinez Ramos at the AutoZone, and said Martinez Ramos assaulted Garcia Gomez in October.

The neighbor who told Rodriguez of the affair was interviewed and reported that after the AutoZone incident on Dec. 4, Pacheco called her to discuss the altercation and stated: “This is going to get worse. He is a dead man.”

On Dec. 8, troopers spoke with Rodriguez again, who stated her last communication with Pacheco was before noon on Dec. 7, a statement that was made multiple times to detectives.

Once her cellphone was seized, Rodriguez admitted that while waiting in the vehicle for Garcia Gomez, she received a message from Pacheco, who asked Rodriguez where she was, and she then called Pacheco and told her she was waiting for Garcia Gomez outside of Popeyes restaurant at 1141 McArthur Road next door to Loco Hot Deals.

On Dec. 11, Pacheco was interviewed at Allentown Police Headquarters and admitted that on Dec. 7, she spoke with Rodriguez and told Martinez Ramos where Garcia Gomez was.

Martinez Ramos was interviewed that day at the Whitehall Township Police Department, admitted to going to the store next to AutoZone in his friend’s gold Honda Civic and said he was intending to scare Garcia Gomez. Martinez Ramos admitted he used his Glock 19, and shot at Garcia Gomez.

Rodriguez faces charges of criminal homicide and aggravated assault.

She is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing Monday at Lehigh County Central Court in Allentown.