Jury rejects murder charge, finds man guilty of manslaughter in 2020 deadly shooting of veteran Jiovanni Benjamin facing two to 20 years in prison
SAN ANTONIO – A man on trial for murder was found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter on Monday.
It took a jury about four hours to find Jiovanni Benjamin not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter in the deadly shooting of 50-year-old Frederick Buhler.
According to closing arguments, the defense said Benjamin acted in self-defense after being attacked by gang members and thought Buhler had a gun.
Buhler, a veteran, was a resident of the apartment complex where the shooting took place and walked around the building after hearing a lot of commotion when he was shot.
The state had the lesser charge of manslaughter added to the charge of the court for the jury to consider.
The punishment range now decreases to two to 20 years in prison.
The punishment phase will begin at a later date.
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About the Author Erica Hernandez headshot
Erica Hernandez is an Emmy award-winning journalist with 15 years of experience in the broadcast news business. Erica has covered a wide array of stories all over Central and South Texas. She's currently the court reporter and cohost of the podcast Texas Crime Stories.
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