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18-year-old sentenced for fatal 2023 shooting during botched carjacking

Anthony Watson was sentenced to 45 years in prison for the murder of Ricardo De La Fuente

Anthony Watson, 18. (BCSO)

BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – An 18-year-old was sentenced to 45 years in prison for a 2023 shooting in south Bexar County.

Anthony Watson, who was a minor at the time of the shooting, was certified as an adult and sentenced Monday on a murder charge with a plea deal.

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According to an arrest affidavit, Watson was one of the shooters in a botched carjacking that left two dead in August 2023.

Along with Watson, Daquan Ruffin and Dontrae Suarez arranged a car sale with sellers Fernando Martinez and Ricardo De La Fuente, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office stated.

When the sellers found out the sale was the setup for a robbery, De La Fuente shot and killed Suarez in self-defense, the DA’s office said in a press release.

Watson then shot and killed De La Fuente before fleeing the scene, according to the DA’s office.

BCSO said Martinez, who was injured as well, was taken to a hospital and ultimately survived the shooting.

Ruffin was arrested in connection with the shooting in October 2023.

Through Martinez’s account and physical evidence, Watson was arrested on May 23, 2024.

“Two young lives were lost in moments of violence that should never have happened,” Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said. “The defendant must now live with the consequences of the pain he caused, and our thoughts remain with the families who continue to carry this grief.”


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