An 18-year-old who was 15 at the time of a 2023 South Side shooting has been sentenced to 45 years in prison. The plea deal resolves a case that left two dead and one seriously injured. Anthony Watson Jr. accepted the plea on Monday, according to KENS 5. Prosecutors said the planned Dodge Charger sale turned into an attempted robbery that ended in fatal violence.
Sale Arranged Online, Prosecutors Say
Investigators say Watson and co-defendants arranged a car sale near U.S. 281 and Hume Road, KSAT reports. When the sellers realized the setup, Ricardo De La Fuente shot and killed Dontrae Suarez. Watson allegedly shot De La Fuente before fleeing. Fernando Martinez, the other seller, was shot but survived.
Evidence Led To Arrests
Police say they recovered a cell phone and several spent shell casings near the victims, and investigators later tied that phone and the ballistic evidence to Watson, according to KENS 5. BCSO and court records state that Watson was arrested on May 23, 2024, while another suspect, Daquan Ruffin, had been taken into custody in October 2023. Investigators say those pieces of evidence helped build the case that pushed prosecutors to seek adult certification for Watson, who was still a juvenile at the time of the shooting.
Legal Note: Certification And Plea
Authorities say Watson was certified to be tried as an adult before entering the plea agreement, and the judge then imposed the 45-year sentence that was part of the deal. "Two young lives were lost in moments of violence that should never have happened," Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said in a statement to KSAT. The plea ends the criminal case against Watson, though it leaves the families to carry losses that a verdict cannot really fix.
What This Case Highlights
According to the San Antonio Express-News, the deadly encounter began with an Instagram message and a planned test drive, highlighting risks of social media car deals. Law enforcement urges caution and the use of safe exchange locations when meeting strangers. Prosecutors say Watson’s sentence reflects the seriousness of violent robberies, with court records and witness accounts forming the basis of the case.
