A teenager has been charged with murder following the shooting death of his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend in East Austin. The incident also involved the theft of the victim’s car.
The Austin Police Department responded to a report of a shooting just after 3 a.m. on September 23, at an apartment complex located in the 1000 block of Springdale Road, close to Airport Boulevard. Upon arrival, officers discovered 29-year-old Jacob Villanueva suffering from gunshot wounds on the stairs of the apartment. He was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 3:00 a.m.
Investigators indicated that the incident stemmed from an altercation involving 17-year-old Jorge Garza, who was the current boyfriend of the apartment’s resident. The woman contacted Villanueva, her ex-boyfriend, to ask him to intervene and persuade Garza to leave the premises. It was then that Garza allegedly shot Villanueva and fled in Villanueva’s vehicle.
On September 25, law enforcement officials from the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force arrested Garza, who was subsequently booked into the Travis County Jail and charged with murder and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
Authorities are urging anyone with information regarding the case to reach out to the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by calling 512-472-8477.
This tragic incident marks the 42nd homicide in Austin this year, and it was part of a troubling trend, as it was the first of three separate homicides reported within a six-hour span on the same day.
In a related case in South Austin, officers responded to a shooting on Virtus Bend shortly after the incident on Springdale Road. They found 24-year-old Dmario Antonie Jones with gunshot wounds, who was declared dead at the scene around 4 a.m. Preliminary investigations suggest that Jones was shot by the homeowner while attempting to commit burglary.
The third homicide occurred in the Wells Branch area, where an apartment manager discovered two women dead from gunshot wounds after responding to an open door at the complex. Initially treated as a murder-suicide, further evidence has led investigators to classify it as a double homicide.
In connection with this double homicide, 24-year-old Michael Robinson from Mississippi has been arrested and charged with capital murder. Authorities believe he was present at the apartment during the shooting.
