SAN ANTONIO – A man who fatally shot another man during a robbery in October 2021 has been sentenced to prison.
Auguston Kane Medelez, 20, pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 24 years in prison on Monday. He was sentenced in the 226th District Court.
San Antonio police said Medelez and another unidentified man stopped Francisco Mendoza as he was driving to work on the morning of Oct. 11, 2021, in the 1600 block of West Hermine Boulevard.
The suspects appeared to be in need of a phone or help and when Mendoza stopped, they shot him and took his cellphone, an arrest affidavit states. The suspects walked away from the scene as Mendoza rolled his truck into a fence. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Surveillance footage from the area showed the suspects breaking into another car prior to the shooting, the affidavit states.
Investigators said they were able to identify Medelez as a suspect based on a clear image from the footage, neighbor interviews and anonymous tips. However, when officers attempted to speak with him at his residence, he was not there.
Through phone records, investigators found that he communicated with friends and family on the day of the incident.
Medelez told them that the “laws” were looking for him, and asked if he could stay with them, the affidavit states.
His mother suggested he stay away from the crime scene location and stay at a friend’s house, the affidavit states. Investigators said she texted him: “Ily (I love you) son I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
The suspect also contacted a friend and asked if he had any more “9s,” police said.
“This was significant as the shell casings found at the scene were 9-millimeter casings,” the affidavit states.
A warrant for his arrest was issued on Feb. 8, 2022, the same day he was taken into custody.
He was indicted in May.
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