A Texas man fatally shot a man and a woman in their sleep. Now, he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
A 226th District Court Judge, Velia Meza, handed Jilson Avelar-Rodriguez a life term in prison without the possibility of parole for the shooting death of Nicholas "Trey" Milanovich and Julia Wright. After less than two hours of deliberation, a jury convicted Avelar-Rodriguez guilty of two counts of capital murder.
“The lives of two young people were tragically cut short. Our office was determined to bring their killer to justice. We have now done so. May they now rest in peace, and may their families now reach a sense of closure on their painful and difficult loss,” said Bexar County Criminal District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales, according to The Bandera Review.
On Sept. 30, 2018, officers responded to the 8600 block of Fairhaven Street in San Antonio after reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they found 21-year-old Wright outside the apartment and Milanovich was still in his bed with gunshot wounds. Wright, who had regained consciousness after being shot, managed to escape to seek help but later died due to blood loss. Likewise, 23-year-old Milanovich also succumbed to his wound later.
According to prosecutors, Avelar-Rodriguez was later identified as a suspect after authorities were tipped off during the investigation. Later, they found the defendant in custody at the federal immigration detention facility in Pearsall in an unrelated matter. In addition, investigators found ammunition similar to the ones at the crime scene at the home he shared with his girlfriend, Mellisa Cortez.
During interrogation, Avelar-Rodriguez admitted to the killing and told authorities he shot the couple due to pressure from his girlfriend. He claimed Cortez was a drug dealer and had issues with Milanovich.
“The truth is I did fire. I fired at both of them. Then I opened the door, and I left. She made me and told me, ‘No, you’re going to do it because if not, it, well I’m going to have someone do something to you,’” said Avelar-Rodriguez in a video recording, reported KSAT 12.
However, Cortez testified during the trial that the defendant had returned home on the day of the incident to change his clothes while in possession of a lock box that contained a pill bottle labeled “Julia.”
The state never sought the death penalty despite being a capital murder case.
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