A Lawton man was
convicted of murder Monday in connection to the beating and shooting death of
another man last October.
Jose Villanueva was
charged with first-degree murder for the death of Charles Tyson. Tyson was beaten and shot with a shotgun.
Villanueva chose to
not have a jury trial, so Monday's testimony and evidence were considered only
by the judge. He reached the decision to
convict without much deliberation.
Nearly 60 pieces of
evidence were presented and the defendant chose to take the stand. Among the evidence was a letter Villanueva
wrote to his brother while in jail and a police interrogation video where he
admitted to shooting Tyson.
It was a video that
Villanueva's defense attorney tried having suppressed because he said
Villanueva was under the influence of meth, Xanax, and other drugs and was not
coherent enough for admission. After
hearing from several witnesses about Villanueva's personality that day the
judge denied the request.
In the interrogation,
Villanueva admitted to shooting Tyson, but for two different reasons. One being that Tyson was trying to rob him of
a gun, and the other being that Tyson had murdered his friend Omar Morales. Detectives later said Tyson was never a
suspect for the open investigation of Morales' murder.
When Villanueva took
the stand, he said he does not remember the interrogation or any statements he
made.
He
was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. This means he
will have to serve 38 years before he can be considered for early release.
Tuesday, December 10 2013 10:15 PM EST2013-12-11 03:15:50 GMT
Students at Midwestern State University presented their promotions management plan for the Red River Best Chevy Dealers on Tuesday at the Wichita Falls Country Club. T
Students at Midwestern State University presented their promotions management plan for the Red River Best Chevy Dealers on Tuesday at the Wichita Falls Country Club. T
Tuesday, December 10 2013 8:10 PM EST2013-12-11 01:10:55 GMT
When winter weather strikes Texoma, the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) does everything it can to keep our roads safe by spreading de-icing agents all over them. For the last winter storm, they
TXDOT treats our roads with a salt and Meltdown 20. Find out if they could have any lasting impacts on our cars.
Nominate someone who selflessly helps others to be one of our Community Service Champions. We honor someone each month, and name a Champion of the Year each November.
Newschannel 6 supports Crime Stoppers, a non-profit organization helping to keep Texoma safe. It offers rewards to anonymous callers who provide information about a crime or wanted suspects.
