SAN ANTONIO – UPDATE: David Villarreal, 32, was sentenced to 60 years in prison in the stabbing death of his lover, Aaron Estrada.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A jury took just 45 minutes Monday to find a 32-year-old man guilty of murder in the stabbing death of his male lover and drug supplier.
David Villarreal admitted that he stabbed Aaron Estrada, 29, at the victim's apartment on the morning of Oct. 16, 2015.
David Villarreal found guilty of murder in stabbing death of Aaron Estrada, his lover.
— Paul Venema (@PaulVenema12) June 25, 2018
Villarreal claimed the slaying was in self-defense. He testified that Estrada was choking him during what the defendant's lawyer called "a drug-fueled battle."
"David did not want to have to do this," defense attorney Alex Scharff told jurors during closing arguments Monday. "But it was either him or Aaron."
Prosecutor Ana Ochoa Nelson disagreed, telling jurors, "There's no self-defense here. It's just not reasonable."
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Villarreal said that after the stabbing, he fled to a friend’s apartment to change clothes and cool off.
“I was parched and I ate more than one popsicle,” he said during cross-examination Friday.
"When you flee, that is consciousness of guilt," prosecutor Kimberly Gonzalez said. "Sign the bottom of the form and find him guilty."
Villarreal faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.