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Woman sentenced to 25 years in plea deal for boyfriend’s murder

Police said Mary Diaz used wallet, phone of victim to access banking, PayPal accounts

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio woman was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Tuesday after pleading no contest to murder.

Mary Diaz was charged with murder and credit card abuse after police said she shot her boyfriend in 2020 at his East Side home and then used his phone and wallet to access his bank and PayPal accounts.

She was sentenced Tuesday by 187th District Court Judge Boyd.

Christopher Jones, 58, was found dead on Feb. 18, 2020, in the 400 block of Susanwood, but police said he was killed weeks before.

His decomposing body was discovered when officers conducted a welfare check on behalf of family members who had not heard from Jones since Jan. 25, 2020.

Diaz was arrested on Jan. 29, 2020, on an unrelated charge of possession. At the time, she had Jones’ wallet, car keys, phone and credit and debit cards. She told police she was robbed at gunpoint while selling music equipment, which was later determined to belong to Jones.

Police said Diaz had 40-caliber Blazer bullets in her bra, the same type of rounds found at the crime scene weeks later. Diaz’s arrest warrant affidavit stated that investigators found an empty handgun box and a cartridge with missing rounds in Jones’ apartment.

The day after Jones’ body was discovered, his Cadillac was found near Diaz’s residence. The affidavit stated that she told police she believed Jones was in California or Ohio. She was still in possession of his wallet, phone, laptop and car keys, and claimed he left her the belongings before he traveled.

Police said Jones' Gmail account was accessed after he died, and the account was used to change passwords in his banking accounts and PayPal account.

A witness told police that Diaz shot Jones because “she discovered photos she did not approve of on his cellphone,” the affidavit stated.


About the Authors
Erica Hernandez headshot

Erica Hernandez is an Emmy award-winning journalist with 15 years of experience in the broadcast news business. Erica has covered a wide array of stories all over Central and South Texas. She's currently the court reporter and cohost of the podcast Texas Crime Stories.

Rebecca Salinas headshot

Rebecca Salinas is the Digital Executive Producer at KSAT 12 News. A San Antonio native, Rebecca is an award-winning journalist who joined KSAT in 2019.

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