SAN ANTONIO – A truck drove alongside a car in which Samuel Wass was sitting and after a passenger in the truck briefly exchanged words with Wass, shots rang out.
The truck sped off leaving Wass behind mortally wounded.
The following day, March 27th 2012, Simon Rene Garcia, 30, was arrested and charged with Wass' murder after a witness provided police with the truck's license number. It was registered to Garcia's father.
Witness told police that the shots were fired from the passenger in the truck who remains unidentified.
During opening statements prosecutor Christopher Karl said "If Simon would not have stopped his truck Samuel would be alive today."
Prosecutor Jason Garrahan said that though Garcia is facing murder charges he did not fire a shot. He is charged under what is called the "law of parties."
If he is convicted, he is facing a punishment range of from five to 99 years to life in prison.
Testimony will continue on Thursday in Judge Mary Roman's 175th District Court.