Staff Report
SAN MARCOS -- An-Drew Stephen Jones, 26, was convicted and sentenced to 65 years in prison on July 15, 2022, for the 2019 murder of Nicholas White.
On April 5, 2019, White, 22, was shot and killed in the Uptown Square Apartments parking lot in San Marcos, where he lived at the time. Witnesses at the scene, before the shooting, described a man wearing a yellow shirt and smoking while apparently waiting for someone.
When White arrived home, the shooter approached White while drawing a firearm and saying, “Where’s my money?”
After White replied, “Are you going to shoot me?”, the gunman fired at least eight times at White, fatally injuring him, before jumping into a silver SUV and fleeing the scene.
San Marcos Police detectives responding to the scene recovered spent shell casings and bullets, along with a cigarette butt left behind by the shooter. Surveillance footage from the gated entrance to the apartments revealed the suspect’s vehicle was a Nissan Rogue, which was a rental by Jones, that had entered the parking lot by following a resident through the automated gate.
Follow-up investigations uncovered evidence that Jones owned a gun of the same caliber as that used in the shooting. Jones’ phone was tracked through electronic records.
A search of his residence revealed an empty gun case containing a receipt for a handgun. Police also discovered a holster and clothing that had been thrown in the trash. The holster contained a magazine filled with cartridges of the same make and caliber as those recovered at the crime scene, and the discarded clothing included a yellow shirt with An-Drew Jones’ DNA on it. Jones’ rental car was found in the parking garage of his residence. The victim’s blood was discovered on the car, and the steering wheel and gearshift lever had gunshot residue on them.
The trial, presided over by 428th Judicial District Judge Bill Henry, began on July 5, 2022, and concluded on July 14, 2022. The jury returned a verdict of guilty of murder. At the sentencing hearing, Jones took the stand and admitted he had shot and killed White -- he claimed that the killing was over money that White owed for drugs purchased from Jones.
Wes Mau, Hays County Criminal District Attorney, led the prosecution with assistance from Anthony Mendoza, Assistant Criminal District Attorney.
“This was a senseless act that took the life of a young man who had everything to look forward to,” Mau said. “Nothing we can do will balance the scales in a case like this, but I hope Nick’s family can move forward knowing that, in the end, justice was done for Nick.”
