Sources: Bexar County District Attorney holds meeting to explain relationship with Wren Collective

SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales held an all-staff meeting this week to address text messages exchanged between himself, First Assistant District Attorney Christian Henrickson, and the Austin-based criminal justice reform the Wren Collective.

In late January, KSAT received more than 200 pages of text messages between Gonzales, Hendrickson, and Wren Collective founder Jessica Brand. Those text exchanges discussed specific criminal justice reform policies and mentions of specific cases.

Multiple sources within the District Attorney’s Office told KSAT that Gonzales held a meeting on Zoom this week for his entire staff. In that meeting, sources said Gonzales told his staff that the Wren Collective did not influence any of the decisions made in the handling of cases, specifically the cases of Otis McKane and Eric Cantu. McKane was sentenced to death in 2021 for the murder of San Antonio Police Detective Benjamin Marconi. Charges against Eric Cantu, who was shot by then-San Antonio Police Officer James Brennand in 2022, were dropped.

Sources told KSAT that Henrickson addressed the Cantu case in his remarks to the staff. The sources said Henrickson’s decision to drop the charges against Cantu was made because the D.A.’s office did not have the evidence to prosecute him. The dismissal also allowed Cantu’s family to be in the hospital room with him as he recovered from his injuries. Brennand was eventually fired from the San Antonio Police Department and charged with aggravated assault by a public servant and attempted murder. During a hearing on Wednesday, Brennand’s legal team subpoenaed all communication between Gonzales, Henrickson, and Brand as it related to his case.

During the meeting, the sources said Gonzales also told his staff that the Wren Collective has been assisting him and Henrickson with messaging to the media and press releases. Henrickson added during the meeting that the group had provided insight into what other district attorneys’ offices around the country are doing when it comes to criminal justice reform. Those sources said Henrickson reiterated to the staff that the main use of the Wren Collective is to provide talking points of subjects for the media and was never involved in cases.

According to those sources, Gonzales did not take any questions from the staff and directed them to contact him privately to discuss any questions or concerns anyone may have.

More Wren Collective coverage on KSAT:

• Judge orders hearing to determine if DA’s Office, Wren Collective conversations relevant in ex-SAPD officer’s case
• Hearing held for ex-SAPD officer James Brennand after DA, Wren Collective subpoena
• All communications between DA Joe Gonzales, Wren Collective subpoenaed in SAPD shooting case
• Sheriff Salazar distances himself from DA Gonzales after Wren Collective conversations become public
• ‘Very concerning’: Former prosecutor exposes troubling discussions between DA’s office, Wren Collective
• Judge speaks out on controversial conversations between DA’s office and Wren Collective
• DA Gonzales’ spokesman calls Wren Collective coverage ‘fake news’
• Take a closer look at the conversations between Bexar County DA’s Office & criminal justice reform group
• What we know about the Wren Collective
• Criminal justice reform group wields significant influence on DA Joe Gonzales, text records show