The finger-pointing has begun on the absurd sentence handed down by a jury (and issued by a judge) for Marco Antonio Gonzalez after he was convicted on nine counts of aggravated assault on a public servant and one count of aggravated assault in retaliation.
If we are to believe the jury members who have spoken to the media, they were confused by 404th District Judge Elia Cornejo-Lopez's instructions and between the words "consecutive" and "concurrent" in rendering their verdict.
The majority of the jurors – including the foreman – say they meant to issue five-year sentences on each of the counts, totaling 45years in prison for Gonzalez, who previously had been acquitted of a murder charge in the death of Ivan Reyes, a co-worker at the Rucker-Carrizales county jail in Olmito.Instead, Cornejo-Lopez said that since all the charges stemmed from the same incident, Gonzalez would serve five years with credit for the 840 days he had already served at the jail.
The prosecutors and defense attorney Ernesto Gamez agreed to drop the retaliation charge to avoid an appeal based on double jeopardy. Gamez has beaten the DA's office three times in court in this same case. Once he got a mistrial, the next he got an acquittal on a murder charge and this third time he got him only five years for a standoff and shootout with local law enforcement officers.
The sentence issued would mean that he had already served half his time and would have only the other two and one-half years to serve.
Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz – who did not try the case but left in in the disabled hands of Pete Gilman – said he understood the at jury wanted to send him for 45 years, and not the five years issued by Cornejo-Lopez.
Saenz, who was misidentified as Hidalgo County DA by Channel 5, and later as "Sateen," told the station's reporter that he was not satisfied with the outcome.
"Sateen said the jury that sentenced Marco Antonio Gonzalez allegedly wanted him behind bars for 45 years not the five years he was given.
Gonzalez has been through three trials on multiple charges stemming from a standoff with police in 2014.
The former Cameron County jailer shot and killed Ivan Reyes. He then held his ex-girlfriend, Monica Robles, hostage for seven hours at a Brownsville home on Orchid Path.
The first trial for the murder of Reyes was declared a mistrial. During the second trial, Gonzalez was acquitted of murder for shooting Reyes in self-defense.
The third trial wrapped up last week. On Monday, Gonzalez was convicted of nine counts of aggravated assault on a public servant for shooting at police officers during the standoff."
The mistake-prone television station also reported that "Judge Eli (sic) Cornelio-Lopez showed us the paperwork the jury fills out when making their final decision on sentencing.
“All I’m allowed to do is read it word for word. I cannot interpret this for the jury, that’s not my job,” she said. “If I interpret this for the jury, it could be considered a comment on what they should do. It could be considered a suggestion and as I told you I’m neutral on the bench.”
"I think that we did a good job. I respect the jury and the jury’s verdict,” she said. “If there’s going to be any objection, they need to be on the record.”
The judge also explained Gonzalez could be out soon. She said the state of Texas awards credit for time served behind bars.
For every day in state prison, convicts can get up to two days credit. In Gonzalez case, he spent two years and a half behind bars already. She said that earned him enough time that he could be out as early as Friday.
Robles, who was held hostage after Gonzalez killed her boyfriend and then held her hostage during the shootout with police while the body lay in her living room, told the station she feared for her life.
“Him getting out of jail… He’s going to have trouble finding a job, just getting on with life. He’s going to come finish the job,” she said.
So it's now nobody's fault. Not the jury's, not the judge's, not the DA's. And it will be no one's fault when a killer is freed and goes on to live his life among the rest of us.
21 comments:
DA Luis Saenz likes the blame game. He allowed Ernie Hernandez to plea to 1 count after charged on 11 felony counts. His reasoning was I saved the tax payers money by not going to court. He refused to charge JP Erin Hernandez after the AG rendered an opinion that on 12 occasions she abused her authority to marry people for profit. He let his nephew and niece walk scot free after leaving a man on the side of the road for dead when they ran over him. Now he says the Jury Allegedly got it wrong. That they wanted to sentence him to 45 years but instead he is going to be released tomorrow October 7,2016.
Where was our Cameron County DA Luis Saenz while they were reading the rules to the Jury? Probably hiding from his friend Ernesto Gamez after he whooped him 3 times on this murder case. It is an embarrassment to every Victim what DA Luis Saenz has allowed our judicial system has become. He has failed us over and over again. Now he blames the jury for his incompetence. He pulled that excuse by using the word ALLEGEDLY. He actually thinks the people are stupid or what. He hasn't prosecuted one case since he took office back in 2013. He has allowed ADA Peter Gillman and ADA Guz Garza to take the fall with no repercussion for doing a lousy job.
The only victims here are the Cameron County Citizens, Law Enforcement. Now we have another killer in our society laughing at our Judicial System. Thanks DA Luis Saenz for FAILING US. Not even the news media wants to own you that you are from Cameron County.
It seems to me that the jury is supposed to be given instructions that clarify questions about sentencing; what each charge means, and how each charge is to be viewed. Did Judge Elia Cornhole Lopez instruct the jury of their obptions?? It was laughable to hear her sat to the media that she is "not political" in her cases. She is a part of the Dumbokratic Politics and each case is decided for politics or friends.
Judge Lopez is a two faced lying politician bitch. Every move she makes is cakcukated. Just the way she took part in the signing of the arrest warrants for the Tax Assessor, and his employees with no evidence to back up the arrest warrant. She signed those areas warrants because she wants her loser husband to be the next tax assessor. If that a bit calculated maneuvering then tell me what it is. They only had the word of a convicted felon....bunch of pathetic excuses of public servants. She sounded like an uneducated stupid bitch that she is on TV last night....pinched Muppet ....Ms. Puggy at her finest !!
Judge Lopez is a 2 faced lying politician bitch. Every move she makes is calculated. Just like her involvement in the signing of yhe arrest warrants for our Tax Assessor and his employees back in January. There was absolutely no evidence to support the arrest of those men. The word of a convicted felon and a vendetta between DA Saenz and our Tax Assessor is the motivation behind all of that wasted time and money. Charges have been dismissed in 3 of those cases because it was bogus to begin with. Judge Lopez signed those arrest warrants for pure person reasons....she wants her husband to be the next tax assessor. That to me shows where her motivation lies and that she had absolutely no objectively to serve as a judge. Shecwas an embarrassment to the citizens of Cameron County last night on the news she sounded like an uneducated lying manipulative coward that only cares about helping her buddies get favorable court decisions so that she gets some $$$. She is just another Abel Limas and Saenz is an older and more calculated and vindictive DA than Villalobos. A petition to get DA Saenz should be signed and a jail cell should await his sorry ass.
THE WORDS WERE TOO HARD FOR THEM???? CONSECUTIVE VS CONCURRENT? IT'S THAT FREAKING HARD??? PEOPLE IN THIS CITY ARE FREAKING R E T A R D E D!!!!! THERE IS NO HOPE FOR YOU. YOU WILL ALWAYS LIVE IN POVERTY!!! YOU CAN'T MAKE SOMETHING LIKE THIS UP. PEOPLE HERE ARE SO STUPID!!!!! STOP HAVING KIDS AND MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.
Not only does Ernesto Gamez look like Yoda, he's definitely a master like Yoda too.
Ernesto Gamez is a master ass kisser and knows who to pay and how much to pay to get favorable rulings fir his clients. Doesn't make him have courtroom skill.....just a skilled attorney that knows who takes bribes and how to manipulate the system so that his tantrums benefit his almighty $$ bank account $$
HEY, JUAN, PA QUE NOS ASEMOS PENDEJOS CABRON?!! THE JURY SELCTION IS A PINCHE PROCESS, TO SELECT A LOS MAS PENDEJOS!!! IF THE DEFENSE SEES AN EDUCATED CABRON...HE STRIKES HIM FROM THE POOL!!! JUST LIKE WHEN THE D.A. SELECTS GRAND JURIES!!! THEY DONT WANT SMART PUTOS ON THE OINCHE JURY!!! THEY WANT MONKEYS TO DO AS THEY ARE TOLD SO THEY CAN GET A PUTO INDICTMENT OJETES!!! AGARRAN A LOS MAS BRUTOS!!! Y LUEGO SE QUEJAN....ME CAGO POR DONDE MISMO JUAN!!! ......ARRIBA HILLARY OJETES!!! ......ARRIBA DE MI CHILE!!!!! AJUAAAA!
^ Ernesto Gamez'dream juror right here folks.
Pinche judge nvv
Elia cornejo's is an elected official site
Please don't forget that next time you see her name on a ballot
Fuk her don't vote for her ever!!!!
Let me re-read that. Elia Cornejo is is an elected official site. What does that mean? She's a website that was elected? We have another winner!!! Another Ernesto Gamez dream juror!! They're everywhere in Brownsville!
This also reminds me of the Joey Fischer case where the D. A. allegedly made a mistake with the wording on the jury charge and murderer Dora Cisneros' conviction ended up being overturned by the court of appeals and she ended up being aquitted. It was also Luis Saenz who worked that case too. Coincidence? Either it was done intentionally by Saenz' office for him to get a lower sentence or the people of Cameron County are really Pendejos that they can't really render a correct verdict. Again, only in the valley you have incompetent people serving in juries. If they didn't know the difference between concurrent or consecutive sentences meant all they had to do was ask. I don't buy that crap. 12 jurors and no one new the difference. It makes me wonder about our the type of jurors that serve and would be scared to have a jury of my peers judge me. Something is not right here. Elia, you as a judge have the power to do something. If you want to be a bully as your known to be one, this is your time to be one. Don't let a murderer and a coward who shot a police officers get away. Don't allow the police officers to be disrespected this way. It sends a message that their lives and safety don't matter. A very disappointed and upset citizen....
I wouldn't be surprised if Luis Saenz blamed Armando Villalobos for this. He is not qualified people get over it Saenz is a looser!!! Very good at blaming others for his INCOMPETENCE! It was his responsibility to be in the court room, when we have such a case in court. He was probably at his ranch smoking a JOINT!!!
Telosico
Probably using an apple phone with auto correct
No la defiendas
Pinche vieja NVV
I think that's the point.
Y tu tampoco si la defiendes
Oh you've been to those parties too? The one with the strippers was the best one yet
No. The people of Brownsville really ARE pendejos. And no,most are NOT smart enough to give a simple verdict. Look at who's posted on here. Brownsville is full of people like that.
No pos wow, it was a done deal from the beginniing right elia? cca
elia "cornhole" lopez is TOO blame on this, no ifs or buts. The lard ass stupid bully bitch did not do her job. Will someone file a grievance on her and let her sweat with the judicial bar.
The judge did not write the charge to the jury. Pete Gilman did. She only read it. If they had been really concerned, aside from the fact they could have sent out a note asking for the definitions, any one of the jurors could have whipped out his cell phone and looked up the definitions.
Here is the reality of Cameron County residents and the Seanz administration.
Cameron county is the poorest and the lease educated county in the nation and the DA's office knows it. I have been in multiple jury duty selections where the DA's office pushes the idea where there is no such thing as reasonable doubt. In fact the whole state of Texas pushes this asinine idea that if you believe the testimony of just ONE PERSON, the defendant is automatically guilty. This is why Texas has the highest rate of wrongful convictions anywhere in the nation.
Now in this case Saenz's team of "star lawyers" got their asses handed to them by Gamez because the jury couldn't find their own asshole with a map. And remember kids, we have to tolerate Saenz for four more years and you have yourselves to blame.
These jury members all have one thing in common, they all attended BISD for their English language word definitions. "Believe in BISD" and this happens.
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