SAN ANTONIO – Donnell Sterling’s family should be celebrating his 54th birthday Friday. Instead, his only sister is remembering the brother she lost nearly two years ago as the man accused of killing him prepares to go on trial.
Sterling was killed in October 2024 at Victoria Plaza, a downtown San Antonio apartment complex. Police found him dead inside his apartment. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office determined he died from a gunshot wound to the head.
“My brother, Donnell Sterling, which we affectionately called Donnie,” his sister Bridget Sterling said, “he was a very kind, sweet person, great brother, great son, great father.”
Bridget Sterling said losing her only sibling has been difficult for their family.
“Losing my brother, my only sibling, is indescribable,” she said. “It’s just really hard to see that someone took my brother’s life for no reason.”
Daniel Gonzalez is accused of killing Sterling. Gonzalez was already in custody on an unlawful firearm possession charge when police began investigating Sterling’s death.
Police also investigated Gonzalez in connection with another man’s death at the same apartment complex. That case is separate from Sterling’s murder case.
According to court records, ballistic testing later connected a gun Gonzalez owned to shell casings found in connection with Sterling’s shooting.
Gonzalez told police he knew Sterling and had been to his apartment, but denied involvement in his death, according to court records.
Now, after years of waiting, the case is headed to trial.
Jury selection has been completed, and testimony is scheduled to begin Monday.
Sterling’s family is preparing for the emotional difficulty of seeing Gonzalez in court.
“That’s something that we’re really trying to mentally prepare ourselves for, just to see him in court,” Bridget Sterling said. “Seeing the person that took my brother’s life is just, it’s really hard.”
She said no court ruling can bring her brother back, but she wants Gonzalez held accountable if he is convicted.
“Justice would never bring my brother back,” she said. “So justice for my family would be that Mr. Daniel Gonzalez stay behind bars and serve the rest of his life.”
As the family marks Sterling’s birthday, Bridget said she is trying to focus on the person he was rather than the circumstances of his death.
“When your sibling or your family members on this earth, you know, we live every day and we see them,” she said. “But once they’re gone … that’s an unbearable, heart-wrenching feeling.”
If convicted in Sterling’s death, Gonzalez faces up to life in prison.
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