SAN ANTONIO – A man accused of shooting his sister's boyfriend to death on Thanksgiving 2012 took the stand in his murder trial Thursday.
Holding the 12-gauge shotgun he used to shoot, Ryan Yearley, 21, Jesus Rivera demonstrated how he shot Yearley at point-blank range. The courtroom demonstration was part of Rivera's testimony as the final witness in his trial on murder charges.
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"I threw my head back and I swung around and I threw the up the gun and I shot him," Rivera said as he pointed the gun at his attorney who was playing the part of Yearley in the demonstration.
Rivera said that they were in the living room of a home on Delgado Street that he shared with his sister, Maria Rivera, and Yearley.
Jesus Rivera said he'd fallen asleep and awoke to find Yearly staring at him in what he called "an angry menacing way" and holding a pocketknife.
Jesus Rivera testified that fearing for his life, he tried to slowly move away.
"I reached down under the sofa and with my left hand I grabbed my shotgun," he said.
In earlier testimony, Jesus Rivera's father testified that his son had just purchased the shotgun the day before for what he said was "home security."
Following the shooting, Rivera did not call police. Instead, he called a friend to help him move Yearley's body to a garage apartment adjacent the house.
Jesus Rivera's father testified on Wednesday that he arrived later that morning and when told of the shooting, he called police.
Jesus Rivera left and was later arrested and charged with murder.
If Jesus Rivera is found guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.