A shortage of criminal defense attorneys threatens indigent right to counsel in rural Texas
Read full article: A shortage of criminal defense attorneys threatens indigent right to counsel in rural TexasTexas’ indigent defense commission wants lawmakers to spend $35 million on public defender offices in rural areas, but some say that isn’t nearly enough to ensure compliance with the U.S. Constitution.
Valero Energy faces lawsuit by 5 men who were reportedly injured in refinery explosion
Read full article: Valero Energy faces lawsuit by 5 men who were reportedly injured in refinery explosionLawsuit filed in Bexar County claims two men suffered third-degree burns; three others were physically and mentally injured
How the Supreme Court of the United States and federal courts work and affect Texans
Read full article: How the Supreme Court of the United States and federal courts work and affect TexansHere’s how federal courts help determine the fate of controversial issues, such as immigration laws, in Texas and beyond.
U.S. Supreme Court hears Texas death row inmate’s appeal for DNA test of evidence
Read full article: U.S. Supreme Court hears Texas death row inmate’s appeal for DNA test of evidenceRuben Gutierrez wants to be able to sue prosecutors to compel them to test evidence that he says will prove he did not kill a Brownsville woman in 1998.
Sources: Barrientes Vela acquittal final as appeals court declines to review decision
Read full article: Sources: Barrientes Vela acquittal final as appeals court declines to review decisionFormer Bexar constable Michelle Barrientes Vela has been formally acquitted of criminal charges, after the state’s highest criminal appeals court declined to review a lower court’s decision to overturn her convictions last year, sources told KSAT Wednesday.
House Speaker Dennis Bonnen says, “No laws were broken.” Legal hurdles remain.
Read full article: House Speaker Dennis Bonnen says, “No laws were broken.” Legal hurdles remain.Bonnen has been eager to dismiss speculation that he did anything illegal during a June 12 meeting with conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan. But a probe into the event is ongoing.
Schertz couple wins trial against Jim’s Restaurants; will be awarded $4 million in damages
Read full article: Schertz couple wins trial against Jim’s Restaurants; will be awarded $4 million in damagesA Bexar County jury has awarded $4 million in damages to a Schertz couple who were injured by a shattered glass window while eating at a Jim’s Restaurant in 2022.
Texas Senate votes in favor of proposals to deny bail to certain accused violent criminals
Read full article: Texas Senate votes in favor of proposals to deny bail to certain accused violent criminalsThe package was fast-tracked after Gov. Greg Abbott declared “bail reform” an emergency item. The bills now head to the House for consideration.
Man accused of shooting 3 SAPD officers in 2023 sentenced to 45 years in prison
Read full article: Man accused of shooting 3 SAPD officers in 2023 sentenced to 45 years in prisonA man accused of shooting three San Antonio police officers in 2023 was sentenced to 45 years Wednesday in a Bexar County courtroom.
Robert Roberson files first new appeal since his execution was delayed
Read full article: Robert Roberson files first new appeal since his execution was delayedThe appeal includes new testimony from experts who say Roberson’s daughter died of natural causes, and cites the court’s exoneration of a man in another shaken baby syndrome case out of Dallas County.
Bexar County man sentenced to 75 years in prison for murder of estranged wife
Read full article: Bexar County man sentenced to 75 years in prison for murder of estranged wifeA Bexar County jury has begun deliberations for Guadalupe Contreras' prison sentence one day after he was convicted on murder and assault charges.
Texas Supreme Court dismisses state bar’s lawsuit against Ken Paxton for challenging 2020 presidential election
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court dismisses state bar’s lawsuit against Ken Paxton for challenging 2020 presidential electionThe state bar had sought to sanction Paxton, which could have carried a punishment ranging from a private reprimand to disbarment.
Bill Miller Bar-B-Q adds warning labels after $2.8 million lawsuit settlement
Read full article: Bill Miller Bar-B-Q adds warning labels after $2.8 million lawsuit settlementWarning labels recently appeared on Bill Miller Bar-B-Q menus and takeout bags following a court order for the company to pay $2.8 million in a lawsuit filed in Bexar County.
Guadalupe Contreras found guilty of 2017 murder, aggravated assault charges in retrial
Read full article: Guadalupe Contreras found guilty of 2017 murder, aggravated assault charges in retrialThe jury found Contreras guilty of a murder charge and an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury to a member of Contreras' family.
Closing arguments in Guadalupe Contreras' retrial expected Thursday morning
Read full article: Closing arguments in Guadalupe Contreras' retrial expected Thursday morningThe retrial of a man accused in the death of his estranged wife is expected to go to the jury after closing arguments on Thursday morning.
Brad Simpson’s next hearing scheduled for 30 days as evidence from Texas Rangers is gathered
Read full article: Brad Simpson’s next hearing scheduled for 30 days as evidence from Texas Rangers is gatheredThe next hearing for Brad Simpson, the Olmos Park man charged with murdering his wife last year, will be in 30 days, a judge said Wednesday.
Texas appeals court hears attorney general’s arguments for questioning Catholic Charities director over migrant services
Read full article: Texas appeals court hears attorney general’s arguments for questioning Catholic Charities director over migrant servicesThree Republican judges heard oral arguments Wednesday after a lower court blocked Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to depose the charity’s leader.
San Antonio mother, son continue to suffer with significant injuries after house exploded in 2021, attorney says
Read full article: San Antonio mother, son continue to suffer with significant injuries after house exploded in 2021, attorney saysAn explosion caused by natural gas left a San Antonio mother severely injured and her son permanently disabled, according to the family’s attorney.
Retrial of Guadalupe Contreras, man accused of murdering his wife, continues Tuesday
Read full article: Retrial of Guadalupe Contreras, man accused of murdering his wife, continues TuesdayDay 4 in the retrial for a Bexar County man accused of the murder of his estranged wife will continue on Tuesday afternoon.
Guadalupe Contreras retrial nears conclusion as jury sees more evidence in day 4 of testimony
Read full article: Guadalupe Contreras retrial nears conclusion as jury sees more evidence in day 4 of testimonyJurors in the retrial of Guadalupe Contreras saw new evidence Tuesday including a look inside the vehicle driven by his estranged wife, Elizabeth Contreras, on the night she disappeared.
Texas executes man convicted of killing Arlington pastor in 2011
Read full article: Texas executes man convicted of killing Arlington pastor in 2011Steven Lawayne Nelson maintained that he unknowingly participated in the violent church robbery but didn’t harm anyone. His execution was the state’s first for 2025.
Retrial of Guadalupe Contreras, man accused of murdering his wife, concluded Day 3 on Monday evening
Read full article: Retrial of Guadalupe Contreras, man accused of murdering his wife, concluded Day 3 on Monday eveningDay 3 in the retrial for a Bexar County man accused of the murder of his estranged wife ended on Monday evening.
CPS Energy ordered to pay $109 million for 2021 home explosion
Read full article: CPS Energy ordered to pay $109 million for 2021 home explosionA Bexar County jury found CPS Energy negligent on Monday for a 2021 explosion at an East Side home that injured two people, ordering the municipality to pay $109 in damages.
‘I don’t know’: Bexar County jury watches SAPD interview videos in retrial for man accused of murdering his wife
Read full article: ‘I don’t know’: Bexar County jury watches SAPD interview videos in retrial for man accused of murdering his wifeWhen police asked Guadalupe Contreras in the days before his estranged wife was found dead, he repeatedly told officers, "I don't know." However, investigators said, the evidence told a different story.
‘It’s a messy family dynamic’: Testimony reveals victim’s ongoing relationship with estranged husband before death
Read full article: ‘It’s a messy family dynamic’: Testimony reveals victim’s ongoing relationship with estranged husband before deathThe first day of testimony in the retrial of a man accused of murdering his estranged wife revealed both were still in contact despite being in other relationships.
Texas’ social media law takes another hit with temporary blocks on three more provisions
Read full article: Texas’ social media law takes another hit with temporary blocks on three more provisionsThe new injunction prohibits advertising and age verification restrictions in the SCOPE Act, which aims to make social media safer for teenagers.
Retrial in 2017 murder case heads into second day of testimony inside Bexar County courtroom
Read full article: Retrial in 2017 murder case heads into second day of testimony inside Bexar County courtroomThe second day of testimony in the retrial of a man accused of murdering his estranged wife concluded on Friday evening.
Man sentenced to 50 years in prison for 2 child sex crimes
Read full article: Man sentenced to 50 years in prison for 2 child sex crimesA Bexar County jury sentenced a man to 50 years in prison on Thursday for a pair of child sex crimes, according to a press release from the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office.
Judge orders slight bond modifications for James Cotter; GPS monitoring stays in place
Read full article: Judge orders slight bond modifications for James Cotter; GPS monitoring stays in placeJames Cotter, the longtime business partner of Brad Simpson, made his first court appearance on Thursday morning since his release on bond in November.
Shotgun pellets litter Leon Creek Greenway Trail near Northwest Side gun club
Read full article: Shotgun pellets litter Leon Creek Greenway Trail near Northwest Side gun clubThe San Antonio Target, Hunting and Fishing Club is being sued by its developer neighbor, who showed KSAT where it has been finding spent projectiles, both on its property and the nearby Leon Creek Greenway Trail.
First female sexually violent predator convicted in Texas, Comal County officials say
Read full article: First female sexually violent predator convicted in Texas, Comal County officials sayCalifornia woman has been declared the first sexually violent predator (SVP) in a Texas county, according to a Facebook post from the Comal County District Attorney’s Office.
Fired police chief files lawsuit against City of Windcrest
Read full article: Fired police chief files lawsuit against City of WindcrestFormer Windcrest Police Chief Jimmie Cole, who was terminated in mid-December, claims the city council “conducted a secret and illegal meeting to hide its scheme from the public” instead of discussing his performance in open session, according to the suit filed in state district court.
Justice Department restarts legal aid programs for detained immigrants
Read full article: Justice Department restarts legal aid programs for detained immigrantsThe agency’s reversal comes after a federal judge told the Trump administration it must continue to pay for grants and other programs it abruptly froze last month.
Bexar County judge grants final delay in Texas rapper’s capital murder trial
Read full article: Bexar County judge grants final delay in Texas rapper’s capital murder trialA Bexar County judge granted a final reset in the capital murder trial of Taymor McIntyre, pushing jury selection to March 31. Testimony is set to begin April 1.
Defense attorneys seek updates in Savanah Soto-Matthew Guerra capital murder case
Read full article: Defense attorneys seek updates in Savanah Soto-Matthew Guerra capital murder caseIt has been more than a year since Savanah Soto and her boyfriend, Matthew Guerra, were found fatally shot in a vehicle at an apartment complex on the Northwest Side.
Judge granted out-of-state travel permission for James Cotter, Brad Simpson’s business partner, records show
Read full article: Judge granted out-of-state travel permission for James Cotter, Brad Simpson’s business partner, records showA judge granted permission for James Cotter — who is out on bond on charges related to the arrest of his long-time business partner Brad Simpson — to travel out of state this past weekend, according to court records.
