TX: Home invader sentenced to life in prison

[ELB]

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local ... 299170.php

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local ... 297836.php

https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/ ... 297836.php

On night of 10 Oct 17 18 yo Jonathan Perales found an unlocked door or gate at a home in Universal City. He entered twice to steal things and put them in his car. On his third trip into the house, the homeowners sleeping in their bedroom heard noise and awoke. The husband armed himself with a Glock 9mm and shouted for Perales to leave. Perales claims he was high on Xanax and got lost trying to find the front door; instead he opened the bedroom door where the homeowners were.

The husband and Perales exchanged two shots each. Perales was hit in the arm and chest, the husband in the elbow and left abdomen. The husband bled to death in the bedroom and Perales escaped to his vehicle. Perales ended up at the house next door, where (amazingly) they let him in and he collapsed on the floor. Those people called the police, who were also answering a call from the original house. Perales admitted to police he had shot someone and they found the gun in his pocket and that he was wearing one red shoe. The other red shoe was found in the bedroom where the husband died.

Perales was tried and convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life without parole, just yesterday it appears, a little more than one year since the murder.

[RoyGBiv]

No death penalty?

DA was afraid of the dirtbags age??

[PriestTheRunner]

As clear cut as it gets and we don't give him the needle?

I miss the days of hanging them expediently after trial.

Now we have to pay for his hotel room and food for the next 60 years.

[Steve W]

Death Penalty is now a joke in Texas.

I was on a Jury about 10 years ago. A young man plotted three different times to kill his family, even bought cop killer bullets. The third time his brother and mother was killed... We spent two weeks determining his fate and listening to evidence. The night we were sequestered was one of the worst in my life, no sleep and endless hours of praying and trying to decide between life and death... We found that this man would be a danger to fellow prisoners and even others outside of prison..

Our Governor decided that it was fine to let a man that talked 10 other people, over three different attempts, live. Why did we even have to go through that hell.... I'll never vote for that guy again, let alone forgive him for letting a monster loose to prey on his fellow prisoners and possibly plot the death of his father who was only wounded....

[Pawpaw]

cop killer bullets

Could you explain what those are, please? Inquiring minds want to know.

[ELB]

Texas has executed 555 people since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. There have been three commutations to life during that period, the last being Thomas Bartlett Whitaker by Governor Abbot on the recommendation of the seven-member Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles (the Governor cannot commute executions on his own initiated, the Board must provide a recommendation).

I have no doubt Thomas Bartlett Whitaker is a sociopath and would say whatever sounds good at the time, but I also have no doubt that the father he tried to have killed, and who forgave the killers before he even knew his son was involved, is sincere. I think the commutation was more for the father's benefit than the son's.

[warnmar10]

Could you explain what those are, please? Inquiring minds want to know.

Asking for a friend...

[WTR]

I remember teflon coated bullets referred to as “ Cop Killers” as they were suppose to penetrate bullet resistant vests. Largely urban legend I think.

[Charles L. Cotton]

I think those asking already know, but the term "COP killer bullets" was used to refer to AP rounds. As WTR noted, some people claimed Teflon-coated bullets and Nyclad bullets were AP rounds.

Chas.

[Charles L. Cotton]

I think the commutation was more for the father's benefit than the son's.

This is the only reason Greg agreed with the Parole Board's unanimous recommendation. Mr. Whitaker (father) was begging for his son's life. He had already suffered enough by losing his wife and son. I really wanted the guy executed, but I can understand why the Parole Board and Gov. Abbott made the decision.

Chas.

[Pawpaw]

I think those asking already know, but the term "COP killer bullets" was used to refer to AP rounds. As WTR noted, some people claimed Teflon-coated bullets and Nyclad bullets were AP rounds.

Chas.

I know "Cop killer bullets" was nothing more than a political construct by gun grabbers doing their usual... trying to get an emotional response.

I just wanted to know what Steve W meant by the term.

[dlh]

So this thug, high on 4 xanax bars and holding a loaded revolver, enters a home and murders the homeowner. Notice, although the defendant said he did not know what his state of mind was that night---nonetheless---proceeded to provide a detailed account of what happened....hmmm--yeah.
He posts on social media a pic of himself holding a revolver with drugs in his mouth-- a true thug flash-selfie.
Then, there is a photograph introduced of him with a tattoo he received subsequent to the murder that depicts his revolver, 3 xanax bars, and the date of the murder 10/10/17.
All of this makes me sick to my stomach.
Don't know why the District Attorney did not pursue the death penalty--article does not say. However, I will opine, whether it was a factor in this case or not, that District Attorneys are well-aware of the court-appointed defense costs to their counties for pursuing the death penalty---bills that can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars per case.
Train, train, train, folks--the police and District Attorney may not be there to help you.

[philip964]

Very sad story.

But we can learn from the good guys death:

Just because you have a gun and wound the bad guy you can still lose.

Lock your doors.

Telling the bad guy to leave is not advisable.

You think he would have left, but instead he confronted an armed homeowner in his bedroom. ( the got lost was just to make him look like a reasonable person the jury could have sympathy with)

Have a powerful flashlight to blind the intruder.

It’s your house, you know it, fire from a position of cover. Have that planned already.

If possible hunt the intruder, then turn on you light and do what is appropriate for the situation.

Did I miss anything? Or misspeak?

[WTR]

I disagree with “ hunting “ the intruder if possible. You are exposing yourself. Hunker down behind cover. Let them have a TV and stereo. That is what insurance is for.

[03Lightningrocks]

Not me. If the bad guy is in my house, I am just obligated to shoot him.