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Murder trial begins for man accused in 2021 fatal shooting at West Side motel

Leopoldo Mora facing up to life in prison if found guilty

SAN ANTONIO – The murder trial is underway for a San Antonio man accused in a deadly shooting at a West Side motel.

Leopoldo Mora is accused of shooting Kenneth Salazar, 57, in the abdomen on June 13, 2021, at the Paradise Motel, located in the 4900 block of W. Commerce.

On Monday, in the 226th District Court, prosecutor Raul Jordan said in opening statements that the state’s key evidence in the case was a witness who saw the shooting take place and surveillance footage from the motel that captured the incident.

That surveillance footage video was played in court. It showed Salazar standing in the parking lot and then a gun pointed outside one of the motel rooms.

Salazar is then seen falling after being shot.

A gun can be seen being pointed out of a motel room in surveillance footage. Prosecutors say the man holding the gun is Leopoldo Mora. (Copyright 2023 by KSAT - All rights reserved.)

Prosecutors said it is Mora who walked out of the motel room and left the scene in a red car.

The defense chose not to give opening statements and it is unclear if Mora will take the stand in his own defense later this week.

If found guilty, Mora faces 5 to 99 years, or life in prison.

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About the Authors
Erica Hernandez headshot

Erica Hernandez is an Emmy award-winning journalist with 15 years of experience in the broadcast news business. Erica has covered a wide array of stories all over Central and South Texas. She's currently the court reporter and cohost of the podcast Texas Crime Stories.

Misael Gomez headshot

Misael started at KSAT-TV as a photojournalist in 1987.

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