After more than two days of testimony, a San Antonio man on trial for capital murder changed his plea from not guilty to guilty of murder.
Johnathan Johnson, 28, is accused of the March 4, 2019, shooting deaths of Andre Rangel, 19, and Katrina Casarez, 18. Angelica Rangel and Cynthia Hernandez were wounded in the shooting. In the first day of testimony, Rangel identified Johnson as the man who kicked in the door of her apartment and started shooting. Her young children were also in the apartment but were not hurt. Rangel believed the shooting happened because she canceled phone service to lines that she said were fraudulently added to her account.
“The deaths of these two teenagers is absolutely senseless. This defendant traumatized these families first with the shootings, then again by making them relive this horrible crime in court. I know how long these families have waited for justice. Now that this convicted killer is headed to prison, I hope they find peace in the memories of the young lives taken too soon,” said District Attorney Joe Gonzales.
In exchange for his plea to murder, 226th District Court Judge Velia Meza sentenced Johnson to 40 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division. He also pled guilty to an unrelated charge of assault on a peace officer and was sentenced to 5 years in prison. The sentences will run concurrently. Johnson will not be considered for parole until he has served half of the 40 year sentence.
Assistant District Attorneys Gretchen Flader and Travis Rodriguez of the Criminal Trial Division prosecuted this case. The San Antonio Police Department investigated the crime.