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Father charged in death of his 12-year-old son in 2022 granted 30-day trial delay

Derrick Coles faces up to life in prison if found guilty.

SAN ANTONIO – A judge has granted a 30-day delay in the case of Derrick Coles, who is accused in the 2022 death of his 12-year-old son, Danilo Coles.

The boy died after being taken to University Hospital with severe injuries, including whipping marks and internal stomach bleeding, according to an affidavit.

Derrick Coles was arrested and charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury.

In court Friday, Derrick Coles’ defense attorney, William Davidson, requested additional time to appoint a medical expert to review the autopsy.

“Based on the autopsy report and all the medicals that I’ve gone through, I just wanted to be able to get an expert appointed to give me a second opinion on the cause of death,” Davidson said in court.

437th District Court Judge Joel Perez expressed concern about the defense’s delay but granted the 30-day reset, warning that the trial must move forward quickly.

“In fairness to this man, you probably need an expert to examine the autopsy, but in fairness to the state, that should have been done some time ago,” Perez said. “Next time, you are going to be number one for trial.”

After the hearing, Davidson said the possibility of a plea deal is slim, as the state is seeking a long prison sentence, while Coles wants probation.

“We’re too far apart,” Davidson said.

The trial is expected to begin in mid-October. If convicted, Derrick Coles faces up to life 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.

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