SAN ANTONIO – Update (6 p.m., Friday):
A San Antonio man was found guilty of his ex-girlfriend’s murder by a Bexar County jury on Friday.
Recommended Videos
The jury deliberated for about three hours before reaching a verdict for Brian Ontiveros.
His punishment phase begins next Tuesday, and he is facing a possible maximum punishment of life in prison.
Original:
The trial for a San Antonio man who is charged with the 2019 murder of his ex-girlfriend begins on Tuesday.
Brian Ontiveros is accused of killing Marissa Jernigan on June 8, 2019, and then fleeing to Mexico.
Jernigan was Ontiveros’ ex-girlfriend and the mother of his son. He shot her multiple times after breaking into her apartment, the US. Marshals Office said.
Ontiveros, 26, was on the run for about three years before he was arrested last March in Piedras Negras, Mexico.
The case received national attention when it was featured in the Investigation Discovery show “In Pursuit with John Walsh” in 2021.
In the show, relatives said Ontiveros taunted the woman’s family after her death and posted illicit images and videos of her online.
The murder trial is taking place in the 144th District Court with presiding Judge Michael Mery, who doesn’t allow cameras in his courtroom.
If found guilty, Ontiveros faces up to life in prison.