SAN ANTONIO – A teen charged with murder told a judge Monday morning he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
That 16-year-old along with his 19-year-old brother, Jacob Rios, were arrested over the weekend in connection with the murder of 80-year-old Heidi Silkworth.
Silkworth was shot in the head on May 26 by a stray bullet from a shootout in the 600 block of East Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard.
She was a passenger in a passing SUV; an innocent bystander who had just attended graduation at the Alamodome.
Chief William McManus said the shooting happened when Rios and the 16-year-old male robbed another person. The victim of the robbery was armed and began shooting toward Rios and his brother, police said. Rios and his younger brother returned fire while running away from the robbery victim, SAPD said.
In court on Monday, defense attorney Monica Guerrero told the judge the teen told her he never had a weapon on him at the time of the incident and that his parents were shocked he had been arrested.
The teen’s mom told the judge he was a straight “A” student and never had any problems with him.
The hearing revealed the teen didn’t have a previous record.
He spoke to the judge and denied the alleged crime he was being charged with.
“I was there, at the wrong place at the wrong time, and I did not want to be there, I was about to leave,” the 16-year-old said. “I really just want to go back to school and start school. Get myself together. I was looking for jobs already and I just want to help my family.”
The teen was denied release on a GPS monitor by Judge William ‘Cruz’ Shaw and he scheduled the next detention hearing for Aug. 12.
His older brother remains in the Bexar County Jail. No hearing has been scheduled for him.