SAN ANTONIO – A man who first claimed self-defense in the shooting death of another man has pleaded guilty to murder in exchange for a plea deal.
Mathew Isaac Ortiz, 23, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday for the shooting death of Charles “Ruso” Martinez, 28, on May 20, 2023.
Martinez was shot during an argument with his girlfriend about their breakup, according to the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office.
At the time, investigators said two people in a truck pulled up to Martinez at 4 a.m. in the 4300 block of Eldridge Avenue and shot him.
A CPS Energy worker found Martinez lying in the street and notified the police.
The DA’s office said Martinez was attempting to open the driver’s side door of the truck where his girlfriend was sitting when Ortiz shot him from the passenger seat.
Ortiz told police that he thought Martinez was armed and claimed that Martinez had assaulted the woman.
Ortiz was arrested about a month after the shooting.