SAN ANTONIO – On Tuesday, a San Antonio family faced the man who killed their sister over a cellphone in December 2020.
Giovanna Barrera, 24, was killed in the 7600 block of Tarrasa after rollerskating in the area.
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Authorities at the time said that Barrera was approached by Daniel Calvillo and Keyana Jones, who tried to steal her cellphone. When she declined to give them the phone, Calvillo shot Barrera.
Calvillo took a plea deal for a 40-year sentence, the charge lessoned from capital murder to first-degree murder and 10 years for the aggravated robbery charge in the 399th District Court on Tuesday.
After sentencing, Barrera’s sisters gave victim impact statements.
“Giovanna will always be remembered as a hero for stopping someone like you from hurting other innocent people out there,” Gisselle Merlos said. “You took her life like she was no one.”
The plea deal is something Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said the family agreed to.
“We explained to them the realities of trial. Anything can happen,” Gonzales said. “We talked to them with the potential to resolve it with a plea agreement, and that’s exactly what happened today.”
Calvillo’s sentences will run concurrently, and he will have to serve half before he is eligible for parole.
The co-defendant in the case, Keyana Jones, has also agreed to a plea deal. She will be sentenced at a later date.