‘In cold blood.’ Testimony begins in trial of man accused of murdering former girlfriend.
Testimony in the trial of Jesus Manuel Deleon, accused of murdering his former girlfriend, 42-year-old Dora Santamaria Hernandez in 2022, began Monday in the 266th Judicial District Court
Erath County District Attorney Alan Nash began by telling jurors that Deleon chased the victim around a trailer home where her boyfriend lived then “shot her right there in cold blood, in a rage.”
Nash played a 911 call dispatch received on March 27, 2022, the night the shooting occurred.
Jurors heard a frantic call from a Hispanic male asking for police and shouting “hurry, hurry.”
The caller said a female had been shot outside of a home on Valley Road and that the shooter – Jesus Deleon Sr. - had fled in a black truck.
Dublin Police Chief Cameron Ray told jurors that officers were on scene within three minutes of the call to find the deceased victim lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to her chest.
Texas Ranger BJ Hill testified that spent casings from a 9mm pistol found blocks away from the crime scene revealed that Deleon had chased and fired at Hernandez as she drove through Dublin, then shot and killed her after she arrived at the trailer house.
When investigators arrived at the scene, Hill said they found Hernandez's vehicle still running with three bullet holes in the front window and the back window completely shattered.
Hours later the vehicle Deleon had allegedly been driving at the time of the shooting was located in Hamilton, but the suspect was nowhere to be found.
Hill testified that Deleon had fled to Mexico, then returned to the U.S. days later to turn himself in.
Deleon is being represented by court-appointed attorney Andrew Ottoway who opted not to cross examine any of Monday’s witnesses.
Testimony is expected to resume Tuesday morning.
