SAN ANTONIO – A man charged with the murder of his common-law wife has been found guilty by a jury after closing arguments wrapped up Wednesday.
Gabriel Martinez is accused of shooting and killing Lori Lee Ortiz in May 2016.
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Martinez said in court that he was the only person who could have pulled the gun and fire, but he said he did not intend to kill Ortiz.
According to prosecutors, police found Martinez and Ortiz lying facedown on the floor. Police said that he shot her and then himself.
Martinez told the jury that he and Ortiz were arguing over pawning a gun that night and that he was trying to pull the rifle away from her when he was shot.
As far as the shot that killed Ortiz, Martinez said he had no conscious memory of shooting her and that after he was shot, he blacked out.
In the days before Ortiz’s death, prosecutors pointed out that Martinez had sent about 50 messages on one day and 46 on another day asking Ortiz to come back home. They also brought up a text that Martinez sent saying he would "end it all."
Martinez faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.