SAN ANTONIO – As part of an unusual plea agreement, Robert Allen, 20, was sentenced to 35 years in prison Tuesday for the murder of Noah Reyna, 15.
Reyna was shot to death during a disturbance among a group of teens in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant Nov. 20, 2017.
According to police, Reyna was shot as he tried to break up a fight.
The teens had gathered at the restaurant following a vigil for another teen who had been shot and killed the day before.
On Monday, a jury found Allen guilty of murder. On Tuesday morning as the punishment phase of his trial was about to begin, Allen’s defense team and prosecutors told 226th District Judge Velia Meza that they had reached an agreement on punishment.
Meza accepted the plea and sentenced Allen to 35 years in prison.
During the victim impact part of the proceedings, the teen’s uncle, Chris Quintero, glared at Allen and said, “You are a monster, and I hope you never walk free again.”
“You’re lucky they agreed to 35 years because that’s not enough time. Because although you get 35 years in prison, my son only got 15 years to live,” said Reyna’s mother, Christina Hernandez, to Allen.
Jaden Reyes, the victim’s cousin, told Allen of a deal she’d tried to make following Reyna’s death.
“It’s not fair that I have to wake up asking God for a bargain — my life for Noah’s,” she said.
Had Allen not agreed to the plea agreement, he was facing a sentencing raging between 15 and 99 years to life in prison.