A Kyle man was sentenced to 25 years in prison Dec. 6 after a Hays County jury convicted him of a 2014 retaliation-style murder.
Michael Anthony Trejo, 22, was convicted of first degree murder in the shooting death of Carlos Fernandez, according to a Hays County press release.
During testimony at the trial, which began Nov. 27, witnesses said Trejo and Fernandez were searching for a gun on April 14, 2014, that had been used in an earlier shooting episode.
That separate event involved Christopher Vicuna, a cousin of Fernandez, who had fired a shotgun at two juveniles that were described as Trejo’s friends, according to the release. Vicuna was later convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon related to this incident and was sentenced to three years in prison.
While searching for the firearm, Trejo and Fernandez entered an alley between trailer homes in the Bluebonnet Estates subdivision in east Kyle. At this point Trejo pulled a .32-caliber handgun and shot Fernandez in the back of the head in “apparent retaliation” for the earlier shooting, according to the release.
Trejo then drove to Williamson County where he crashed his vehicle and then fled on foot. Trejo was later arrested for leaving the scene of an accident and possession of Xanax pills located in his vehicle.
While Trejo drove to Williamson County, witnesses in Kyle provided law enforcement with Trejo’s name as a potential suspect, according to the release. Investigators located Trejo in the Williamson County jail, where he denied any involvement in the shooting or being in the Bluebonnet Estates subdivision.
According to the release, patrol car videos from the Vicuna shooting showed Trejo present in the area.
Kyle Police searched along the path from the accident in Georgetown to where Trejo was arrested and located the handgun he used to shoot Fernandez.
Authorities later forensically matched Trejo’s handgun to a casing located at the murder scene and a bullet removed from Fernandez’ head during the autopsy.
The jury took five and a half hours of deliberation before passing a murder conviction, according to the release. After a short punishment hearing, the jury sentenced Trejo to 25 years in prison.