A Bee County jury sentenced Romeo Flores to life in prison Friday for the murder of Martín Cano in July 2007.
Flores, who was 41 at the time of the shooting, also was sentenced to 15 years in prison for shooting his wife twice in the stomach with a .357-caliber revolver and threatening to shoot his mother-in-law.
The jury also ordered Flores to pay a $10,000 fine for each of the three offenses.
Because a deadly weapon was used or displayed at the time of the offenses, Flores will have to spend at least half of the sentences in prison before he is eligible for parole.
The nine-man, three-woman jury spent about three hours deliberating Flores’ fate Friday afternoon before returning with their sentences.
Bee County District Attorney Martha Warner prosecuted the case for the state.
Rockport attorneys James Teague and Reese Rozzell defended Flores.
District Court Judge Janna Whatley presided over the trial.
Flores was indicted on three felony offenses last year: murder, a first-degree felony offense punishable by up to 99 years in prison and a $10,000 fine; attempted murder, a second degree felony offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine; and aggravated assault by threat with a deadly weapon, a second degree felony offense.
Jury selection began Monday and testimony began Tuesday morning and ended Thursday morning. The jury deliberated for about two hours Thursday afternoon before finding Flores guilty of shooting his wife Beverly Jean Flores, 41, twice in the stomach, killing Martín Flores, 43, and threatening to kill Sidny Banta, his mother-in-law.
Warner told jurors on the first day of the trial that she would convince them that Flores was so angry his wife had cheated on him, and planned to leave him for another man, that he planned to kill her.
Warner called witnesses — including a Bee County sheriff’s deputy — who testified that Flores and his wife had a badly broken marriage that included at least three instances in which his wife had “strayed” from their marriage.
One witness testified Flores borrowed the .357-caliber revolver used in the shooting.
A man who described himself as Flores’ best friend said Flores called him several days before the shooting and told him he was planning to kill his wife. Flores said he was also going to kill his in-laws, who had ordered him to move out of the home they owned next door and which he shared with his wife, the witness testified.
Defense attorneys did not dispute Flores committed the shooting, but said he was insane at the time.
Flores did not take the stand in his own defense.
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