Shannon Locke, a longtime criminal defense attorney in San Antonio and Bexar County, has announced plans to run for the county’s top prosecutor position.

Following approximately 90 minutes of deliberations, the jury returned not guilty verdicts for Eleazar Alejandro, Alfred Flores and Nathan Villalobos on Monday afternoon.

A longtime forensic criminologist ended testimony on Friday as the trial of three ex-SAPD officers charged in Melissa Perez’s 2023 death completed its 20th day.

A 3D forensic analyst took the stand on Thursday in the trial of three ex-SAPD officers charged in Melissa Perez's shooting death.

The defense team representing three former San Antonio police officers charged in Melissa Perez's death called Travis Thompson, its first active officer, to the stand on Tuesday afternoon.

Lisa Miller, a former San Antonio police detective and sergeant, took the stand on Monday afternoon in the trial of three ex-officers charged in Melissa Perez’s 2023 death.

Bexar County prosecutors officially rested their case on Friday in the murder trial of three former SAPD officers.

Thom Nisbet, a co-defense attorney for ex-SAPD Sgt. Alfred Flores, grilled SAPD detective Ronald Soto in court on Thursday. Soto said he mixed up another detail in his investigation into Melissa Perez's 2023 death.

Tuesday’s court testimony shed new light on how San Antonio police filed arrest warrants for three ex-officers charged in Melissa Perez’s 2023 death.

The joint defense of three former SAPD officers asked presiding Judge Ron Rangel to bar state expert witnesses from taking the stand on Monday.

Defense attorneys for three ex-SAPD officers charged with murdering Melissa Perez and Bexar County prosecutors sparred on Thursday over the testimony from an SAPD detective who took a statement from former Sgt. Alfred Flores.

Ron Rangel, the presiding judge in Bexar County’s 379th Criminal Court, has decided he is no longer interested in running for county district attorney.

During Monday’s testimony, San Antonio Police Department officer Andrew Chernak told jurors he believed the officers on the patio were justified in their actions at Melissa Perez’s apartment on June 23, 2023.

During Monday’s testimony, SAPD officer Andrew Chernak told jurors he believed the officers on the patio were justified in their actions at Melissa Perez’s apartment on June 23, 2023.

A chaotic Friday in court ended with a witness invoking their constitutional right, multiple denied mistrials and why a plan to enter Melissa Perez’s home never materialized.

A San Antonio police officer ended his nearly four-day stint on the stand on Thursday, and a second SAPD officer offered insight as to why he entered a Southwest Side woman’s apartment before it became a deadly encounter.

Only one witness took the stand for nearly four-and-a-half full hours of testimony on Tuesday. That same witness, SAPD officer Jesus Rojas, spent the entirety of Wednesday back on the bench.

The 2023 police shooting of Melissa Perez, a case that drew national attention, has resumed court proceedings on Monday morning.

Two days after a feisty pretrial hearing, the prosecution and the defense sparred once more on Day 1 of the ex-officers’ trial Friday inside the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center.

Domestic violence survivors across Bexar County are concerned about how long some criminal cases are taking, with some waiting years.

A Bexar County man who fled the state while out on bond earlier this year was sentenced to 40 years in prison for three counts of aggravated robbery, court records show.

Bexar County leaders have pushed back on a claim from San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones that footage of a councilwoman being booked on a DWI charge late last month was “leaked video,” according to an email exchange obtained by KSAT Investigates.

Defense attorneys for three former San Antonio police officers accused in the 2023 shooting death of Melissa Perez are questioning missing evidence and calling the investigation “botched” as the case nears trial.

Otis McKane, who was sentenced to death in the 2016 killing of San Antonio police detective Benjamin Marconi, is hoping for an appeal when he returns to court on Thursday.

A former elementary school teacher in the Judson Independent School District was sentenced Thursday to 60 years in prison for the continuous sexual abuse of a child.

Judge Ron Rangel is forming an exploratory committee as he mulls a run for Bexar County District Attorney.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed into law a sweeping bail reform package aimed at tightening pretrial release rules and keeping violent offenders in jail.

Another hearing happened on Tuesday for the three ex-SAPD officers charged with Melissa Perez’s death. But there wasn’t much movement in the case.

The debate over bail reform is intensifying in Texas, with Governor Greg Abbott declaring it an emergency item.

The jury found Contreras guilty of a murder charge and an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury to a member of Contreras' family.

The retrial of a man accused in the death of his estranged wife is expected to go to the jury after closing arguments on Thursday morning.

The case of three former San Antonio police officers charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman inside her apartment had its first hearing reset before it could begin.

The Bexar County Justice Center is a place emotional and distressing cases are heard every day, leaving jurors grappling with the trauma of graphic testimony and evidence. To help alleviate some of the emotional toll, therapy dogs are stepping in to provide comfort.

According to Judge Ron Rangel, there is no more space at the justice center to accommodate the need for more judges.

A judge has decided the fate for a man on who was involved in a road rage shooting in 2022.

A 21-year-old man convicted of fatally shooting a teenage girl at an apartment party in 2022 was sentenced to 70 years in prison on Monday.

The case of three former San Antonio police officers charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman inside her apartment last summer has been moved to Judge Ron Rangel’s 379th Criminal District Court.

A man was sentenced Monday to eight years in prison for animal abuse.

Odyssey, launched on Sunday, has a rough start as some cases show up with incorrect information.

Judge Ron Rangel is surprised and concerned by remarks made about judges.

KSAT 12 has gotten the first look at some recommendations to improve public safety from Bexar County and San Antonio’s top police and court officials.

According to a statement from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, the courtroom brawl happened as family members of shooting victim Ethan Soto attended a hearing for Victor Nathaneal Rivas, who is charged in Soto’s death.

Recent tensions between the San Antonio Police Department and the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office sparked by the shooting of six SAPD officers within a two-week span while in pursuit of suspects triggered this KSAT Explains.

In early September, Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai said he would get to the bottom of the problems between the Bexar County DA and San Antonio Police Department. Nearly two weeks later, internal talks reveal there maybe a communication problem.

The trial for the singer of the Tejano band La Tropa F will begin this week.

As closing arguments were to begin Monday in the trial of a man accused of his estranged wife’s murder, 379th District Court Judge Ron Rangel declared a mistrial.

Guadalupe Contreras faces up to life in prison if found guilty.

A statewide problem is also causing issues in Bexar County for jail inmates found incompetent to stand trial.

In-person jury pools will resume in Bexar County in March, nearly three years after they were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

High-profile trials scheduled for 2023 are faced with uncertainty as the district attorney’s office has recently lost many attorneys.

Bexar County Criminal District Court judges have appointed attorney Miguel Najera to fill a newly created associate judge position, according to county officials.

More than three years after a 72-year-old man was fatally shot his stepson will be going to trial.

Juan David Ortiz is charged with capital murder of multiple persons.

A recent initiative by Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales to curb gun violence is not one that judges can easily rule on.

Bexar County Criminal District Courts are working to tackle mental health by asking the state for more funding.

A San Antonio man was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Tuesday for the brutal attack of his former girlfriend with a metal baseball bat in 2019, according to the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office.

The courthouse is bustling again with in-person jury trials back in session but its leading to frustration for some as parking is now limited.

Since reopening to in-person jury trials, some backlogged cases have started to clear out.

Jury summons still being sent out despite in-person trials on hold

In-person jury trials scheduled in the first two weeks of January will be postponed due to the surge of coronavirus infections in Bexar County.

In the last newsletter for 2021, see the top 10 court moments of the year

It’s life in prison for Miguel Gutierrez who was found guilty last month of the 2017 death of 11-month-old boy Xzavier Cortez

A 53-year-old man pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the 379th District Court on Thursday and waived his right to a trial.

For the first time in two years, the courts will be fully open in 2022.

Judge Ron Rangel said because the county has entered the low transmission phase of COVID-19 protocols, jury trials will be allowed to increase.

In-person jury trials will start back up in Bexar County on Oct. 4.

The Bexar County court system is bracing for a new bail reform law that goes into effect Dec. 2.

While there is no way of telling when jury trials will begin again, Administrative Judge Ron Rangel is hoping to lift the current moratorium this fall.

With a widely watched capital trial complete, there is another delay for in-person jury trials in Bexar County.

Officials hope the new program will improve legal services for defendants who are indigent, meaning they don’t have enough money to pay for a lawyer.

After GA-13 was ruled unconstitutional on Monday, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said that as many as 300 prisoners now qualify to be released.

Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order that heavily limited jail releases was ruled “wholly unconstitutional” by 379th District Court Judge Ron Rangel on Monday.

Jurors in the Otis McKane capital murder trial are expected to begin deliberating his fate Friday.

As COVID-19 infections surge in Bexar County, the judge who oversees how the courthouse runs has suspended jury services.

With the Delta variant causing a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations locally, the Bexar County Courthouse complex is upping its efforts to mitigate the virus’s spread.

A man recalled to a jury the moments he heard gunshots and finding San Antonio Police Detective Benjamin Marconi slain in his patrol car.

A Bexar County judge set bond at $1 for Janie Villeda and other inmates who are awaiting release from the Bexar County Jail.

Bobby Martinez is given a guilty verdict in court Friday after jury deliberated for about 4 hours.

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New protocols are allowing for more trials to take place and more cases being settled.

While masks are still encouraged, restrictions for those fully vaccinated have eased at the Cadena Reeves Justice Center.

After a 13-month delay, in-person jury trials will begin Tuesday in Bexar County.

In-person jury trials will resume next month in Bexar County, ending a 15-month moratorium on jury service.

A schedule for returning to jury trials, both in-person proceedings and virtual, has been presented to all 44 Bexar County judges.

Bexar County officials began mailing jury summonses to area residents one week ago -- the first time they’ve been sent since a moratorium on jury service was ordered in March 2020 amid coronavirus concerns.

For the first time since mid-March 2020, jury duty summons in Bexar County will begin showing up in mailboxes next month followed by jury trials June 1.

Otis McKane set to stand trial in death penalty case on July 12.

Bexar County District Court Judge Ron Rangel has recused himself from the upcoming felony perjury trials of former Precinct 2 Constable Michelle Barrientes Vela and her one-time captain, Marc D. Garcia, the KSAT 12 Defenders confirmed Wednesday.

A non-jury bench trial in Judge Angelica Jimenez’ 408th District Court was the only in-person court proceeding held in the Bexar County Courthouse complex on Tuesday.

Under a plan submitted to Bexar County Commissioners by Local Administrative Judge Ron Rangel, all county courts will be allowed to conduct in-person hearings beginning on Monday.

When Bexar County District Courts reopen for trials there are five high-profile cases that might be in the docket for 2021. SAN ANTONIO – As Texas has “opened 100%”, the Bexar County courts remain closed to in-person and jury trials. These trials will take place in the 227th District Court by Judge Kevin O’Connell. AdWhen this retrial takes place it will be in the 144th District Court with Judge Michael Mery. When this trial is set it will take place in the 399th District Court with Judge Frank Castro presiding.

SAN ANTONIO – Jury selection will resume Monday in the capital murder trial of a man accused in the execution-style slaying of a San Antonio Police Department detective in 2016. It has been four and a half year years since veteran San Antonio Police Department Detective Benjamin Marconi was shot in the head at point blank range as he sat in his patrol car outside police headquarters. Jury selection in the capital murder trial of 35-year-old Otis McKane, Marconi’s accused killer, began last fall. AdStill, Rangel, who will preside over the trial, said he isn’t considering a change of venue. The Backstory: Otis McKane on trial for execution-style killing of SAPD Detective Benjamin Marconi

”We don’t want jury service to be a death sentence for any jurors or any participants in the court process,” Rangel said. The latest Texas Supreme Court order issued Friday gives individual authority to local administrative judges. AdThe Texas Supreme Court emergency order expires June 1. “Maybe if it’s not extended, those minimum safety protocols would not be required to enter into the courthouse,” Rangel said. But he said that for now the protocols will remain in place in all Bexar County courtrooms.

SAN ANTONIO – The circumstances under which the two latest grand juries served were anything but ideal, with the pandemic ongoing and the recent winter storms in the Bexar County area. The 12-member panels met alternately twice weekly in the cavernous central jury room in the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center basement, which made maintaining social distancing ideal. The juries reviewed a combined total of about 1,600 cases, down considerably from a usual average of 2,000 cases per grand jury, according to Rangel. AdHe said maintaining the secrecy that by law must surround grand juries was a challenge due to the sheer size of the central jury room, which can accommodate more than 600 people. “We had extra security outside the central jury room so that nobody would go into the room that is normally open to the public,” Rangel said.

Water also seeped through walls down to three courtrooms on the fourth floor, 187th District Court Judge Stephanie Boyd said. ”We had some major damage in our court coordinator’s office,” Boyd said. ”We’re trying to keep the courthouse safe from folks coming in and getting sick as a result of the pandemic,” Rangel said. Rangel said that will likely continue in spite of any water damage. Related: Water pipe bust floods Bexar County DA’s office, damages files

SAN ANTONIO – Former Bexar County Precinct 2 Constable Michelle Barrientes Vela will first go to trial on an aggravated perjury charge after a state district judge this week granted a motion to sever the offenses against her. The motion, granted by Judge Ron Rangel, will also apply to Barrientes Vela’s co-defendant, former Precinct 2 Capt. Barrientes Vela faces one felony count of aggravated perjury, two felony counts of tampering with evidence and three misdemeanor counts of official oppression, related to her nearly three-year tenure as constable. Former Bexar County Precinct 2 Captain Marc Garcia. A spokeswoman for Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales declined to comment.

”We’re going to make sure that the jail is not the reason for that backlog”, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said Thursday. He said he is making additional space available in order so that more virtual hearings can be conducted at the jail. ”The reality of it is virtual hearings take up a lot more time,” Rangel said as he welcomed the sheriff’s help. Ad“We’re doing everything we can behind the scenes to keep the process moving,” Salazar said. “We know that jury trials are going to be put off for the foreseeable future.”RELATED: District judge says she is ‘fearful’ of COVID-19 risks related to recent courtroom clerk transfers