Family Tragedy, Departmental Fallout, and a Verdict That Divided San Antonio
A Bexar County jury has found three former San Antonio police officers — Eleazar Alejandro, Alfred Flores, and Nathaniel Villalobos — not guilty in the 2023 shooting death of Melissa Perez, a 46-year-old mother of four killed during a mental health crisis at her Southwest Side apartment.
The verdict came Monday after a month long trial and just ninety minutes of jury deliberation. The case marked the first time multiple SAPD officers faced murder charges for an on-duty shooting in Bexar County history.
Prosecutors argued that the three officers wrongfully used deadly force when Perez — who was unarmed — was shot inside her apartment on June 23, 2023.
According to body camera footage, officers fired 16 rounds, two of which struck and killed Perez. Police had responded to reports that she was cutting fire alarm wires, claiming the FBI was spying on her.
During the standoff, Perez threw a candle toward officers from behind a sliding glass door, then allegedly charged forward holding a hammer. Defense attorneys said the officers fired in self-defense, fearing for their safety.
The jury sided with that account.
Former officers Alejandro and Flores, both charged with murder, aggravated assault, and deadly conduct, were acquitted on all counts. Villalobos, charged only with aggravated assault and deadly conduct, was also found not guilty.
The Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, led by Joe Gonzales, issued a restrained response:
“The Bexar County District Attorney’s Office respects the jury’s verdict and has no further comment,” the office said in a statement.
In contrast, the San Antonio Police Officers Association came out swinging. Its president, Danny Diaz, released a fiery statement accusing Gonzales and his team of misconduct:
“Joe Gonzales has once again exposed his willingness to engage in prosecutorial misconduct by his team’s lack of transparency and failure to disclose information… Our community has had enough. These heinous attacks on our officers must end today!”
The City Attorney’s Office, representing SAPD, struck a more procedural tone:
“The civil litigation and disciplinary processes are separate and distinct from the criminal process, and we will continue to defend the City in the civil litigation and the discipline issued for the former officers involved.”
Testimony during the trial exposed serious flaws in SAPD’s internal investigation. Lead detective Ronald Soto admitted he failed to review all body camera footage or include key details, such as the number of times Perez was shot, in his arrest affidavits.
Defense attorneys also alleged that political pressure influenced the decision to charge the officers, citing the national climate surrounding police shootings in 2023.
Perez’s death renewed longstanding questions about how SAPD responds to mental health emergencies. Though the department has a dedicated Mental Health Unit, no such officers were dispatched that night.
Advocates and community leaders have since pushed for reforms, calling for 24-hour crisis response teams and behavioral health professionals embedded in patrol units to prevent future tragedies.
Perez’s family filed a civil lawsuit against the City of San Antonio and the officers, but the case was dismissed in September. The ruling prevents her relatives from refiling the same claims.
While the officers walked free, the case left lasting questions about transparency, accountability, and mental health policing in San Antonio.
