BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A man was sentenced to 50 years in prison Friday for the 2023 murder of a woman at a South Side taco stand.
Earlier Friday, a Bexar County jury found Roland Contreras Jr., 35, guilty of murder after deliberations took approximately 30 minutes.
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During his punishment phase, Contreras elected to take a plea deal. Terms of the deal include a 50-year prison sentence. He will be eligible for parole after serving 25 years.
Contreras Jr. shot and killed Gabriele Campos Del Angel around 9:30 p.m. on April 6, 2023, in the parking lot of a food truck in the 1800 block of Southwest Military Drive, near Commercial Avenue. Police said she was not the intended target.
Campos Del Angel and her estranged husband were getting food at the taco stand when Contreras allegedly brandished a gun and yelled at her husband, an arrest affidavit states.
The husband ran back to his Jeep, bumped into a parked car as he reversed and attempted to drive away.
Contreras Jr. continued to chase the man, the husband told police, before firing his weapon.
Police said the bullet went through a side window and struck Campos Del Angel in the chest.
The man drove to a nearby gas station, authorities said, where he called for help. Campos Del Angel was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Her estranged husband was able to identify Contreras Jr. to officers, saying that he knew him because of an ex-girlfriend.
Contreras Jr. fled back to his home, where a SWAT team and other officers attempted to communicate with him.
Although there was no communication with Contreras Jr., SAPD Chief William McManus said officers had visual confirmation he was inside the home early on in the standoff.
About 30 minutes later, police tossed tear gas into the home, but after a thorough search of the residence, Contreras was nowhere to be found.
Nearly a month later, police said a covert response unit was able to locate and arrest Contreras without further incident.
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