A man who was 14 years old when he took part in a drive-by shooting that killed a woman on the West Side was sentenced to prison.
Rene Joe Gonzales, 18, was sentenced to 50 years in prison Thursday after pleading no contest to two counts of murder. Gonzales killed 25-year-old Novita Brazil and, later, a 54-year-old man, while he was on the run. Both sentences will be served concurrently.
Gonzales, who pleaded no contest as part of a plea deal, will have to serve half of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
Brazil was shot and killed Oct. 4, 2022, at a home in the 11400 block of Bald Mountain Drive.
Authorities said Gonzales and three other teens committed a drive-by shooting at the home, and fired about 100 shots.
Brazil was a college student and was married to a military member. The gunfire also wounded a 41-year-old woman who had been renting a room at the home while in town to see a San Antonio Spurs game.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said he believed the shooting was gang-related and that the teens had targeted the wrong home.
After they posted bond, the pair cut off their ankle monitors and were on the run, Salazar said.
Details related to the other fatal shooting in 2023 were not immediately available due to his previous status as a minor.