BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Two Bexar County families, who lost loved ones in a 2023 double murder, voiced their frustrations after the man accused in those deaths took a plea deal on Monday.
Lazerith Carrillo, 22, accepted a plea deal in connection with the shooting deaths of ex-girlfriend Alyssa Perez, 25, and Perez’s friend, Edward Acosta Jimenez, 32.
Terms of Carrillo’s plea deal indicate he is taking a 50-year prison sentence for the murders.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, on Jan. 27, 2023, Jimenez’s mother discovered her son and Perez had been killed in a car parked outside her home.
Hours after the discovery, police arrested Carrillo, who was attempting to carjack a person. He was allegedly found with Perez’s cellphone.
Police also said the gun he possessed matched shell casings found at the murder scene.
Carrillo was originally charged with capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated robbery. Upon conviction, a capital murder charge would have carried a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
However, court records show the capital murder charge was waived, and Carrillo was instead charged with Jimenez and Perez’s murders.
Carrillo’s aggravated robbery charge was later dismissed, records also indicate.
“I want to applaud the incredible efforts of the prosecution team and law enforcement involved in the case,” Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said in a Monday news release. “Because of their relentless pursuit of the truth, we were able to ensure that the individual responsible for this tragic crime faced the consequences of their actions.”
‘They’re all cowards’
Members of both families spoke to KSAT after they gave victim impact statements inside Bexar County’s 187th Criminal District Court.
Perez’s mother, Aimee, and Jimenez’s sister, Jessica Acosta, said they both expected Carrillo’s case to go to trial.
“We waited three years for this. I wanted it,” Perez said, referring to her desire for the case to go to trial. “I wanted to know why (the case didn’t go to trial).”
According to the families, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office reached out to them on Friday.
“They called us at 5 o’clock on Friday, and they did want us to have something ready for Monday,“ Acosta said. ”Everything was rushed. Even when we asked, ‘Why are we rushing? We were supposed to start a trial the following week. Why couldn’t we wait for Judge (Stephanie) Boyd to be here?’ But they had no answers.”
Judge Stephanie Boyd, who typically presides over Bexar County’s 187th Criminal District Court, was not in court on Monday. Visiting Judge Michael Keasler, who was in Boyd’s place, presided over Carrillo’s court proceedings.
“They (the Bexar County DA’s Office) did it (reached out to the Perez family) Friday unexpectedly, and we weren’t prepared,” Perez said. “We kept telling them that we’re not prepared for this. I mean, three years, and then they tell us this (on) Friday? I mean, this is not fair.”
Acosta believes members of the DA’s office weren’t genuine in the way they handled the case.
“When we came in (Monday), they (DA’s office staff) wouldn’t even speak to us,” Acosta told KSAT. “They wouldn’t even look at us until after the sentencing was done. Then, they tried to come and give us the fake smiles and the fake hugs, but this wasn’t justice. In my opinion, they’re all cowards.”
A DA’s office spokesperson told KSAT that its staff “dedicated itself to being transparent and forthcoming” in its communication to both families, including the possibility of a plea deal.
“We contacted the family on Wednesday, March 18, to discuss the potential plea agreement and followed up with a phone call on Friday morning, March 20, to inform them that our office had finalized the offer,” a DA’s office spokesperson said. “We understand that this was not the end result the families were seeking. However, every detail of the case was thoroughly considered, including the family’s desired result.
“Ultimately, we secured a sentence that guarantees the defendant has acknowledged his culpability and is being held accountable for his actions.”
Acosta said the DA’s office described the double murder to them as a “slam dunk case.”
“We held onto that, believing them,” Acosta said. “They lied to us, every single day for those three years. We wanted our day in court. We wanted justice, which was not given to us.”
Their paths forward
For the Jimenez and Perez families, their commitment to their loved ones — and their attention towards Carrillo’s time in prison — continues.
“We’re going to be her voice. We’re all who she has right now,” Perez said. “We’re going to stand up for her. We’re going to be heard — for her.”
“I will be. My son will be. My mother will be. His (Edward’s) brother will be. Our whole family will be,” Acosta said. “We will be there every single time to protest his release, so that he (Carrillo) serves every single day of those 50 years.”
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