Man pleads guilty in 2017 San Angelo murder, victim's sister speaks to courtroom
SAN ANGELO — A McAllen man pleaded guilty for his role in a 2017 murder Tuesday afternoon, nearly 2 years after Andrew Martinez was gunned down on East 24th Street.
Jeremy Dace Perez stood before Judge Ben Woodward of the 119th District Court. He received 40 years in prison and must pay a $20,989.55 restitution for the murder of Andrew Martinez.
Alexis Martinez, Andrew's sister, addressed the court.
"We wake up every morning with a pain in our chest, pretending we don't want to die," she said. "Why him? Why my brother? Will we ever find our peace?"
Alexis spoke about how she finds her mom still sound sleep in the afternoon because she's consumed by depression.
She then spoke about Perez.
"I hope every breathe he takes is miserable," she said. "I pray he never finds peace, or happiness."
The State of Texas vs. Antonio Noe Flores III and Jeremy Dace Perez
Around 2:49 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, police arrived at a home in the 1300 block of East 24th Street in response to a shooting. An officer met with a man who said he had been "pistol whipped" and another man, Martinez, was shot.
An ambulance took Martinez, who had apparent gunshot wounds, to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead by medical personnel.
More:San Angelo saw several homicides in 2017
The witness told officers he was taking a woman to a hotel in the 1600 block of South Bryant Boulevard when he was approached by three men. These men were later identified as Antonio Noe Flores III, a 15-year-old boy and Jeremy Dace Perez.
The juvenile pulled out a gun and demanded to know Martinez's location. Fearing for his life, the man took the trio in his black Dodge Challenger to Martinez.
Martinez was smoking outside the residence when they arrived. An altercation began, which was believed to stem from Martinez owing Flores and a woman money from a methamphetamine purchase.
Flores was planning to "box" him when Perez shot Martinez, according to court documents. The juvenile denied taking part in the shooting and said he never got out of the car, which Flores corroborated in his statement.
Perez was arrested on Nov. 16, 2017.
Antonio Noe Flores III had a pre-trial hearing Sept. 30, 2019. No other court dates were scheduled as of noon Thursday, Oct. 10, according to online court records.
Alana Edgin is a journalist covering Crime and Courts in West Texas. Send her a news tip at aedgin@gannett.com. Consider supporting West Texas journalism with a subscription to GoSanAngelo.com.