Skip to main content
Clear icon
64º

Man who shot Balcones Heights sergeant in 2021 sentenced to 70 years in prison

Wilfredo Montemayor must serve 30 years before eligible for parole

SAN ANTONIO – It took a jury only about two hours to sentence a man who shot a Balcones Heights sergeant to 70 years in prison.

On Friday, the jury heard closing arguments in the punishment phase of Wilfredo Montemayor’s trial.

Sgt. Joey Sepulveda was called to the Sol Apartments on Feb. 2, 2021 in the 6900 block of Interstate 10 after Montemayor and his brother, Sijifredo Montemayor, were seen burglarizing vehicles.

As Sepulveda approached their vehicle, Wilfredo Montemayor fired multiple shots and Sepulveda was hit several times including in the neck.

Sepulveda’s body camera footage was presented to the jury. The video shows the moments leading up to the shooting as Sepulveda’s orders the men to get out of the vehicle.

Sepulveda pulls his taser and leans in to try to turn off the vehicle. As he steps back, ordering the Montemayor brothers out again, you see Wilfredo Montemayor point a gun out of the window and fire. As Sepulveda stumbles away, two more shots can be heard.

The defense during closing arguments was that Sepulveda didn’t follow proper protocol and never tried to de-escalate the situation.

“If you notice, it was only him escalating it,” attorney Britney Durham said. “It was only him shouting. It was only him making threats.”

The state argued that the only reason they were in that courtroom was due to Montemayor’s actions.

“You can’t blame the victim in this case who is approaching every potentially dangerous situation,” prosecutor Jessica Schultz said.

Sepulveda survived his injuries. He was in the courtroom as sentencing took place.

Montemayor is eligible for parole after serving 30 years in prison.


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.

Recommended Videos