SAN ANTONIO – The family of 21-year-old Mario Alvarez finally saw justice served as Gilbert Torres, the second person charged in Alvarez’s murder, was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Torres accepted a plea deal back in December 2023 but went on the run after cutting off his GPS monitor.
Alvarez was shot and killed in August 2022 after being lured to a vehicle outside his home.
Torres, who was hiding in the backseat, fatally shot him.
Both Torres and his accomplice, Stephanie Zaragosa, were arrested weeks after the murder.
An arrest affidavit revealed that Zaragosa admitted to driving the vehicle and calling Alvarez over to it.
While Torres never provided a motive, Zaragosa stated she was angry with Alvarez, though the exact reason remains unclear.
Under the plea deal, Torres faced a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, which the state argued he deserved.
Prosecutor Jeff Mulliner highlighted Torres’s violation of bond conditions by fleeing after accepting the plea deal.
“The state is denied the opportunity to show just how fair we would have been to him had he satisfied his obligations,” said prosecutor Jeff Mulliner during the hearing. “It was not his right to take the life of that man under those circumstances, and he is solely responsible for the gun that was fired that caused Mario’s death.”
Torres was expected to testify against Zaragosa as part of his plea agreement, but he failed to do so after going on the run.
Torres claimed he fled because he received a threat from a friend of Zaragosa’s.
“They had said if I testified against her, they would kill me or find a way to hurt my family, and I was just really scared,” Torres said. “That was the main reason I cut off my monitor.”
Judge Kristina Escalona sentenced Torres to the full 30 years and stated he could have reached out for help after he was threatened or turned himself in after Zaragosa was sentenced in April.
Zaragosa, who accepted her own plea deal, was sentenced to 18 years.
Both Torres and Zaragosa will be eligible for parole after serving half their sentences.