Victoria Valadez was killed in her San Marcos apartment before Juan Manuel Yanez fled to Houston.
SAN MARCOS, Texas — The family of Victoria Valadez watched a Hays County judge sentence Juan Manuel Yanez to life in prison for killing her in her San Marcos apartment after prosecutors said she was likely asleep when he shot her.
The May 14 sentence followed a guilty plea and a punishment hearing that focused on the evidence, the flight to Houston and the lasting harm to Valadez’s relatives. Valadez, 43, was found dead Feb. 7, 2025, in a River Road apartment. Yanez, 49, pleaded guilty to murder on May 6 and agreed to let the judge decide his punishment. He must serve at least 30 years before he can be considered for parole.
Assistant Criminal District Attorney Abigail Whitaker said the family remained present through a painful case and helped show the court what had been lost. “The family showed extraordinary courage throughout this case and through the sentencing hearing,” Whitaker said. She said their strength ensured the court saw both the facts of the murder and the cost to Valadez’s family and the wider community. Prosecutors did not announce a motive. They said Valadez and Yanez were not married, though they had been romantically involved for several months before the shooting. Yanez had called 911 and described Valadez as his wife.
That call brought police to the apartment. Yanez told the 911 operator he had just shot his wife, but he did not give a location. Dispatchers traced the call to the River Road unit, where San Marcos police found Valadez with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Officers did not find signs of a struggle. Prosecutors said the evidence supported the conclusion that she may have been sleeping when she was shot. Inside the apartment, investigators found Yanez’s wallet on Valadez’s nightstand. The ordinary placement of that wallet became part of a larger case built from small details, forensic testing and the path Yanez took after the call.
Before police arrived, prosecutors said, Yanez had gone to a nearby 7-Eleven in Valadez’s truck. Surveillance video showed him buying four beers about 20 minutes before the 911 call. He then drove back toward the apartment. When police reached the scene, the four beers were there. Two were open, and all four were still cold. Prosecutors said the timing showed Yanez had shot Valadez before the beer run, then returned and called for help. The sequence added a stark detail to a case that already centered on a fatal shot inside a home. The gun used in the killing was never recovered.
Investigators later found more evidence on Yanez himself and in his belongings. Forensic testing confirmed Valadez’s blood on clothing and jewelry collected from him. Testing also found gunshot residue. Officers recovered his cellphone, but its SIM card had been removed. Prosecutors said that step showed an attempt to stop police from tracking him as he left San Marcos. After the call, Yanez drove more than 150 miles to Houston, where authorities said he kept a residence and a separate family. Harris County authorities arrested him near that residence after a brief manhunt. The arrest brought him back into custody, but it did not answer why Valadez was killed.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Jon English and Whitaker. English said the sentence recognized the truth of what happened inside the apartment. He said Judge Joe Pool delivered justice for Valadez’s loved ones and for the community. The Hays County Criminal District Attorney’s Office also credited the San Marcos Police Department. Detectives Logan Murphy and Chris Marroquin led the investigation, and multiple officers worked the case. The state’s team also included Victim Assistance Coordinator Annalise Brewer-Hall, digital media evidence legal assistants Kendall Evans and Mercedes Pena, Legal Assistant Avery Slocum and investigators Sgt. Erica Saenz and Sgt. David Cabrera.
The case also placed a spotlight on the distance between the public record and the private damage left behind. Court filings and official statements listed the dates, locations and evidence. They could not fully describe the shock for relatives who learned Valadez had been killed in the apartment where police found her. Prosecutors said her family’s presence during sentencing gave the court a fuller view of that damage. The district attorney’s office said the life sentence was the maximum available under the law. It closed the punishment phase without revealing a motive, leaving one central question unanswered even as the murder case reached judgment.
For now, Yanez has been sentenced to life in prison for Valadez’s murder. His earliest parole eligibility is 30 years away, and any future legal action would come through the post-conviction court process.
Author note: Last updated Tuesday, June 16, 2026.