SAN ANTONIO – A man on trial for murder was found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter on Monday.
It took a jury about four hours to find Jiovanni Benjamin not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter in the deadly shooting of 50-year-old Frederick Buhler.
According to closing arguments, the defense said Benjamin acted in self-defense after being attacked by gang members and thought Buhler had a gun.
Buhler, a veteran, was a resident of the apartment complex where the shooting took place and walked around the building after hearing a lot of commotion when he was shot.
The state had the lesser charge of manslaughter added to the charge of the court for the jury to consider.
The punishment range now decreases to two to 20 years in prison.
The punishment phase will begin at a later date.