SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio jury on Thursday found Cody Waters guilty of assault in the 2014 shooting of Debbie Arredondo outside a far North Side bar.
The jury began its deliberations Thursday morning before settling on the guilty verdict.
KSAT's Paul Venema reported the decision on Twitter.
Waters had claimed that he shot Arredondo in self defense outside Bar Louie off Highway 281 at TPC Parkway.
Arredondo, who was shot in the head, survived and testified on Wednesday that Waters was "angry," "zoned-out" and "mean" on the night of the shooting, Jan. 24, 2014.
She was celebrating her husband's birthday with another couple the night she was shot.
The couples were leaving the bar as Waters was driving away. Arrendondo shouted to Waters to slow down, to which he replied, “You’re (expletive) with the wrong guy.”
Waters began to fight with Arredondo's husband. She was shot as she tried to get her husband away from Waters, who she saw had a gun.
Witnesses said Waters pulled a gun from a holster on his belt and began shooting, hitting Arrendondo in the head.
During closing arguments, defense attorney Warren Wolf told the jury that an exchange of insults between Waters and those Arredondo escalated into a scuffle.
"(The couples) kicked it up a notch. They got him in a deathly choke hold,” Wolf said. “Put yourself in Cody’s position, what would you do?”
Prosecutors argued that it was not a case of self defense.
“He saw exactly how many people were there when he got out to confront them. He saw it,” prosecutor Jason Goss told the jury. “He said ,‘I see these people and I can take them.’”
“You heard absolutely no evidence from anyone that Debbie Arredondo was using forced against Mr. Waters,” prosecutor James Phillips said.
Waters faces between two to 20 years in prison. He is eligible for probation.
Closing arguments in the punishment phase of Waters' trial are expected to get underway Friday before Judge Raymond Angelini in 437th District Court.