While facing a Wilson County jury, defendant George “Nick” Silva opted to plead guilty to four separate charges of felony theft, as well as forgery. Mr. Silva was an independent events planner who, through various means across both Wilson and Karnes counties, accepted money from those who sought to employ him, then never provided them with the services promised. He also stole from his employer. Through the hard work of the Wilson and Karnes County Sheriff’s Offices, as well as the La Vernia Police Department, Mr. Silva was brought to justice and sentenced to a 9 years in prison and 18 months on each state jail felony. These sentences run concurrently. Mr. Silva was also ordered to pay restitution to the victims in each case. It is sad to see someone with such talent waste it by choosing to steal from those who trusted Mr. Silva the most. We appreciate the jury's willingness to serve, and the victims for reporting the crimes so Mr. Silva cannot continue his crime spree. Thank you to ADAs Marc Ledet and Lorena Whitney for working tirelessly on these cases.
ATASCOSA COUNTY JURY CONVICTS RYAN GARCIA of AGGRAVATED ASSAULT
An Atascosa County jury found Ryan Xavier Garcia guilty of the brutal May 16, 2019 assault of a local resident. The jury heard evidence how Garcia stalked the victim’s family for over a month before the incident, beginning with the April 13 shooting of his brother’s truck. On May 6, Garcia threatened the victim’s grandfather with a gun and threatened to kill him. On May 7, he ran the victim’s daughter off the road on Highway 16 and kicked her car while threatening to kill her family. On May 9, Garcia blindsided the victim with a pipe and sent him to the hospital with an orbital and nose fracture before getting away. He stalked the residence until May 16, when he beat victim over the head many times with a baseball bat and large socket wrench sending him to the hospital with many injuries.
After convicting Garcia, the jury next considered his punishment. The jury then heard evidence of 13 other crimes along with numerous other arrests for thefts, drugs, evading and resisting arrest, threats to officers, gun related offenses, and assaults. The jury sentenced Ryan Garcia to 12 years in prison. We appreciate the thorough investigation of the Jourdanton Police Department, as well as the Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office, Pleasanton Police Department, Highway Patrol, Poteet Police Department, and the San Antonio Police Department for their testimony and hard work on prior arrests and convictions of this dangerous defendant. The justice system fails without the service of our jurors and potential jurors. We are thankful for their service. Special appreciation goes to ADAs Bradlee Thornton and Brett Pattillo for their hard work in preparing and presenting the case, as well as the dedication of Chief Investigator Roland Trevino.
FRIO COUNTY JURY CONVICTS MAN OF MURDERING HIS FATHER.
After a week long trial, a Frio County jury found Caleb Patrick Daniels guilty of the murder of his father, Dennis Eldon Daniels and sentenced him to 50 years in prison. The shooting death of Dennis Daniels took place on July 14, 2018. Officers received a 911 call from Caleb Daniels stating that his father shot at him and he shot back in self-defense. In his initial call, he claimed both he and his father were bleeding. A few minutes later, 911 dispatchers received a second call from Caleb Daniels stating he was fine and wasn’t bleeding after all but that his father still needed medical attention. Frio County sheriff’s deputies and members of the Texas Rangers arrived to find Dennis Daniels already deceased. The Texas Rangers interviewed Caleb that day and were told that he and his father went to family property in Pearsall to shoot. Caleb stated that his father began arguing with him and turned and fired his gun at Caleb, causing Caleb to shoot back.
Jurors heard testimony that upon investigating Caleb Daniels’ claims of self- defense, officers discovered that two days prior to the murder, Caleb drafted his Last Will and Testament. One day prior to the murder, Caleb mailed a package to a friend that contained several “good-bye letters” as well as detailed instructions of how to send these letters out and what to post on his social media pages should he not return from his day at the shooting range with his father.
The Texas Rangers made contact with Caleb to interview him a second time. It was during this second interview that Caleb Daniels admitted there was no argument with his father, and his father never shot at him or even pointed a gun at him. Caleb admitted to shooting his father without provocation, and admitted to making the scene look as if his father had shot at him by shooting his father’s gun towards his direction prior to calling 911. In addition to hearing from the Texas Rangers, jurors also heard from Caleb’s mother who stated he’d confessed to her that he’d killed his father and had staged the crime scene.
We are grateful to the jurors for their service. The criminal justice system only works when jurors are willing to serve. We are grateful for their thoughtful reflection in ensuring Mr. Daniels received justice. Many thanks to the hard work of the Frio County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Ranger Shane Staley, as well as the prosecution team of First Assistant Leslie Carranza, and ADA Kenny Lam.
Karnes County: Marina Fifield pled to 27 years for the murder of Randal Walden.
On January 1, 2019, the Karnes County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to Gillett, Texas in reference to a shooting. Marina Fifield called 911 and told deputies that she had shot Randal Mason Walden during an argument they were having. Fifield and Walden were involved in a relationship prior to the shooting. Fifield initially claimed self-defense. Walden was transported to San Antonio Medical Center via Air Life with a gunshot wound to the face. He succumbed to his injuries on January 3rd.
Walden was described in a victim impact statement written by his ex-wife as being, “incredibly kind, caring, and generous with what he had to give.” She stated, in reference to Fifield, “ A few days before you took his life he called while on his way to New Orleans and we discussed you and he made a decision to send you back to Utah to your mother because he said he couldn’t help you any longer. He told me his plan was to put you on a bus January 2, 2019, and hated to admit he had failed to help you in the way you needed help the most.” Walden was known for his sense of humor and ability to make people laugh and was a veteran of the United Stated Navy. Special thanks to Assistant District Attorney, Brett Pattillo, who handled the case.
Man Receives 22 Year Prison Sentence in Frio County
Honorable Judge Russell Wilson sentenced Abel Eric Trevino to 22 years in prison for the offense of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child. The victim in this case was younger than 12 years old at the time of the offense. The child reported the sexual assault to their mother, who initially did not report it to law enforcement. An anonymous caller reached out to the Dilley Police Department and provided them with the name of the child, the name of the child’s mother and the address of where they lived. The Dilley Police Department worked in conjunction with the Texas Rangers to investigate this case. The young child was able to describe the sexual abuse that had occurred. Law enforcement made contact with Abel Eric Trevino and he subsequently confessed to the sexual assault. This young child showed a tremendous amount of courage in speaking out against the defendant despite receiving very little family support.
It takes a village to protect our children. We would like to thank the the anonymous caller for notifying law enforcement, Dilley Police Department, Texas Ranger Daniel McMillon, and First Assistant DA Leslie Carranza for their hard work and tireless dedication to protecting the most vulnerable in our society.
A WILSON COUNTY JURY CONVICTED AND SENTENCED MAX MARROQUIN, JR. FOR AGGRAVATED ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON
A Wilson County jury sentenced Max Marroquin, Jr. to six years in prison yesterday. Jurors heard testimony that on February 24, 2018, Marroquin threatened the victim with a firearm while the defendant’s son was present. After the jury verdict, Marroquin also pled guilty to Possession of Controlled Substance for two years in prison. Thank you to the jury for answering the call to serve, and seeing that justice was done. The justice system does not work without jurors' willingness to serve. While our servicemen and women continue to selflessly serve in dangerous conditions, jury duty is one way everyone can contribute and serve our country. Thank you to the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office and specifically the tireless work of deputies Joseph Martinez, Darrell Collins, Rodney Wigley and former deputy Matthew Flynn. Special thanks to Assistant District Attorneys Marc Ledet and Lorena Whitney for prosecuting the case.
WILSON COUNTY JURY CONVICTS MAN OF MURDERING HIS BROTHER.
David Greenwood was convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Wilson County jury on July 29th. Greenwood testified that he shot his unarmed brother, Alexander Byrom, in self-defense. The victim had a violent criminal history including assaulting the defendant previously. However, the jury has sent a clear message that in Wilson County everyone is entitled to equal protection under the law, and shooting an unarmed man will not be accepted or tolerated. We are grateful for the service of the jury, the investigation by Texas Rangers Terry Snyder and Shane Staley, as well as retired Chief Deputy Johnie Deagen of the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office. Thank you to Assistant District Attorneys Lorena Whitney and Marc Ledet in seeing that justice was done.
WILSON COUNTY JURY CONVICTS ROGER MOEHRIG
Wilson County jury convicts Roger Moehrig of Assault on a Public Servant. Moehrig’s extensive criminal history, including multiple prior prison trips enhanced his punishment range to 25 years to life in prison. The Honorable 218th District Judge Russell Wilson sentenced the defendant to 37 years in prison. Moehrig’s record spanned 35 years and included trips to the penitentiary for prior felonies including Burglary of a Habitation, DWI – 3rd Offense, and Indecency with a Child. We are grateful for the service of our jury. By participating in jury service, our jurors send a message not only to the defendant, but to others that choose to violate the law in our jurisdiction that such conduct will not be tolerated. I am proud of the work of ADAs Marc Ledet and Lorena Whitney for ensuring justice was served, and appreciate the hard work of the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, particularly Deputies Samuel Emerson and Joseph Martinez, who went above and beyond.
Wilson County man with extensive criminal history convicted and sentenced
With an extensive criminal history in Wilson County spanning back to 2011, Bradley Sweeney, was convicted by the Honorable 81st Judicial District Judge Lynn Ellison and sentenced to 45 and 20 years in prison for Evading Arrest with a Vehicle and Possession of a Controlled Substance <1 gram of methamphetamine. Proud of the work of my ADAs Marc Ledet and Lorena Whitney, Wilson County Sheriff’s Office and DPS Troopers for ending the crime spree of this menace to our county.
Jury convicted Atascosa man of two counts of Indecency with a Child, and one count of Indecency with a Child by Exposure.
The jury sentenced Talamantez to 99 years on each count, and the Honorable 218th District Judge Russell Wilson “stacked” those sentences, meaning the sentences run consecutively. I’m so proud of our victim for having the courage to outcry about the abuse. A special thank you to the Children’s Alliance of South Texas, Pleasanton Police Department, my prosecution team, Asst. DAs Adriana Biggs, Leslie Carranza, Investigator Roland Trevino, and Victim Advocate Katie Quinney. We are grateful to the Atascosa County jurors, as their sentence ensures Mr. Talamantez will never have the opportunity to hurt another child.
