SAN ANTONIO – A mistrial was declared Friday in the punishment phase in the trial of a former John Jay High School student.
Jesus San Miguel, 19, was on trial on a charge of murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of his friend, Joshua Kinnaman, 18, on April 4, 2023.
Kinnaman was fatally stabbed after challenging San Miguel to a fight over comments he had made to the defendant’s girlfriend during a lunch break at a restaurant across the street from the school.
The jury found San Miguel not guilty of murder on Wednesday but determined his actions during a deadly altercation warranted the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide.
Jurors, though, could not decide how long to sentence San Miguel, who could have been sentenced to anywhere from probation to up to 10 years in prison.
The deadlock left the judge with no choice but to call a mistrial.
Before jurors deliberated punishment, there was an emotional hearing that included statements from both families, reflecting on their shared pain and loss from the fatal fight.
San Miguel’s mother, Melissa San Miguel, spoke of her son’s struggles since the incident, telling the jury that he had been accepted to Louisiana State University and planned to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering before the tragedy derailed his future.
“There are days where he just laid there,” Melissa San Miguel said. “I don’t remember the last time Jesus came to lay next to me or wanted to watch a movie.”
Kinnaman’s mother, Jessica Kinnaman, shared her ongoing grief. She said her family is still struggling to cope with her son’s death.
“It’s hard to sleep at night and keep myself together in front of my kids,” Jessica Kinnaman said. She described her son as an outgoing teen who “was always trying to make everyone laugh.”
A new jury will be chosen to determine San Miguel’s fate.
Jury selection is scheduled for Dec. 17.
More coverage of the trial of Jesus San Miguel on KSAT: