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WATCH LIVE: Jilson Avelar-Rodriguez capital murder trial, Day 3

Jilson Avelar-Rodriguez is accused of fatally shooting a couple in their bedroom in 2018

Capital murder trial begins on Jan. 16. (Copyright 2024 by KSAT - All rights reserved.)

SAN ANTONIO – The capital murder trial of Jilson Avelar-Rodriguez is scheduled to resume at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

Avelar-Rodriguez is accused in the fatal shooting of Nicholas “Trey” Milanovich, 23, and Julia Wright, 21, on Sept. 30, 2018. Police at the time called a very bloody scene.

Wright was found outside an apartment in the 8600 block of Fairhaven Street. Milanovich was found in his bed inside his apartment.

During the second day on the trial Wednesday, Melissa Cortez, an ex-girlfriend of Avelar-Rodriguez, testified that he showed up at her home and changed clothes the day of the shootings.

Cortez said he put the clothes in a bag and left them there. Also, she said he had a lockbox with a pill bottle inside with the name Julia on it.

Later, Cortez said she handed over the clothes to her attorney because holding onto them didn’t feel right.

Cortez was questioned by the detective on the case more than a year later, and she handed him the pill bottle that was found, which she still had it in her home.

That led to the arrest of the defendant, a Honduran national, who was found at a federal immigration detention facility in Pearsall, where he was being detained. He was later transported to the Bexar County Jail.

After several years of delays, the case is finally being tried in court.

The case is a non-death capital murder, which means the death penalty is not on the table.

If Jilson Avelar-Rodriguez is found guilty, he would automatically be sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.

KSAT 12 will livestream this trial gavel to gavel. You can watch the trial on KSAT.com, KSAT Plus and KSAT’s YouTube channel.

For a full recap of the case watch “Open Court: The trial of Jilson Avelar-Rodriguez” below:


About the Authors
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.

Misael Gomez headshot

Misael started at KSAT-TV as a photojournalist in 1987.

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