HONDO, Texas – A Medina County jury sentenced a San Antonio man to 30 years in prison Monday for the shooting death of another San Antonio man in 2022.
Jeremiah Jordan Brown was found guilty of murder on Friday for killing Elijai Alton Chandler in Castroville on Feb. 6, 2022.
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According to the Medina County District Attorney’s Office, Brown and Chandler were involved in a shooting at a Valero convenience store at W.W. White Road in San Antonio that left a man wounded. Right after the shooting, the pair fled the scene and drove to a road in Castroville to get rid of the gun used in the shooting.
At some point, Brown, who was 17 at the time, shot Chandler and left him there. Chandler’s body was later found by a hiker less than 100 yards from Highway 90. Testimony from a forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy revealed that Chandler, 24, had been shot in the head seven times with no evidence of defensive wounds.
Brown fled the scene in Chandler’s car, taking the gun with him and ultimately disposing of it, the news release said.
An investigation by the Texas Rangers resulted in Brown being identified as the shooter.
Both in his interview with the Rangers, as well as at his trial, Brown and his defense team claimed he acted in self-defense, arguing that he was acting in “sudden passion” after seeing his biological sister’s new boyfriend get shot at the San Antonio-area gas station.
Evidence from Brown’s cellphone as well as interviews with family members who saw Brown after the shooting revealed that he sought to avoid being tied to the Valero shooting, telling others that he didn’t know where Chandler was and that he had last seen him when he abandoned him at the convenience store.
After three full days of testimony, a jury deliberated for less than two hours Friday before finding Brown guilty.
Brown was also sentenced to 10 years for tampering with physical evidence and 2 years for unauthorized use of a vehicle.
He must serve half his sentence before he is eligible for parole.