San Antonio family seeks answers from son’s friends about his death

Jonathan Heredia, 18, was killed on Jan. 11, 2023

SAN ANTONIO – The friends of a murdered teen said they were the victims of an attempted robbery. But, the teen’s family said their story doesn’t seem to add up.

Viene Heredia said her son Jonathan Heredia, 18, was a kind-hearted human, humble in nature.

Jonathan, the youngest in the family, said goodbye to his mother as he went to hang out with his friends. Hours later, his mother was called to the hospital to hear the heartbreaking news of his death.

The San Antonio police report for January 11th, 2023 said the friends told police they were the victims of an attempted robbery while hanging out near 12900 Club House Boulevard.

SAPD had no updated information on a suspect who will be wanted for capital murder.

Viene said she has a lot of unanswered questions about why they were at that location.

“What happened? What were they doing over there? He told me they were just cruising around, cruising around, over there. Why that far?” she said.

She said one of those friends was a close friend of her son. She even allowed him to live with her family for some time. Now, Viene is making an appeal to those friends to come clean.

“If you’re Jonathan’s friend, you know how he loves you. You know how he was caring for you, so please help us...say something please,” she said.

In her grief, her son is remembered for his giving nature. Jonathan was a donor -- his eyes and tissue were donated.

“We did it with all our heart. It was hard but with a lot of joy,” Viene said.

Anyone with more information on the fatal shooting is urged to call SAPD’s Homicide Unit at 210-207-7635.


About the Authors:

Patty Santos joined the KSAT 12 News team in July 2017. She has a proven track record of reporting on hard-hitting news that affects the community.

Adam Barraza is a photojournalist at KSAT 12 and an El Paso native. He interned at KVIA, the local ABC affiliate, while still in high school. He then moved to San Antonio and, after earning a degree from San Antonio College and the University of the Incarnate Word, started working in news. He’s also a diehard Dodgers fan and an avid sneakerhead.