Carlos Portillo receives over 40 years in prison for killing his wife, Sheila-Jo Hanks, at Oak Creek Apartments in January 2024.
SAN ANTONIO — The family of a woman killed by her husband in 2024 spoke out following a murder conviction.
On Monday, Carlos Portillo was found guilty and sentenced to over 40 years in prison for killing 51-year-old Sheila-Jo Hanks.
Portillo was found by authorities covered in blood outside the Oak Creek apartments in January of 2024.
Family fulfilled Sheila-Jo Hank’s life. Two of her four children, Tom Champion and daughter Kiersten Consiel are left with the heartache of a mother’s love cut short.
“She just had all the love to give,” Champion said.
“Tom had a new baby…and my mom will never get to meet her,” Consiel said in tears, “My son turns 16 and my mom will never get to drive with him”
Hanks was shot and killed by her husband, 46-year-old Carlos Portillo, inside their unit at the Oak Creek apartments on January 29th, 2024.
On Monday, Portillo was sentenced to 45 years in prison. Consiel said Portillo will be up for parole in just over 22 years.
“We got to look Carlos in the eye and tell him what he took from us,” Consiel said.
With only memories to hold on to, they’ll always remember how she gave everything to everyone.
They hold onto hope, and that their mother’s story will remind everyone what domestic violence can do.
“If you hear or see something happening, you can save someone’s life.”
Portillo’s attorney, G. I. Bill Simmons, Attorney at Law sent KENS 5 this statement:
My client acknowledges the profound pain this tragedy has caused to all involved, and hopes that in due time, the bereaved family can discover some level of peace and healing.
Portillo’s background and his sentence
A San Antonio man was sentenced to 45 years in prison for shooting and killing his wife at their northwest-side apartment last year, officials say.
On the morning of Jan. 29, 2024, police arrived to Oak Creek Apartments near Vance Jackson and Wurzbach, where they found Carlos Portillo covered in blood and acting erratically. Officers at the time said he told arriving law enforcement the blood belonged to his wife, 51-year-old Sheila-Jo Hanks, who was found shot and killed in their unit.
Loved ones said Hanks had moved from Alaska to Texas to be with Portillo, 46, and that she had posted a cry for help on social media days before she was murdered. He had been out of prison since 2022, having served time for drug charges.
According to the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, Portillo’s criminal history goes back further to include evading arrest, assault, car burglary and home burglary charges.
He pleaded no contest to charges related to his wife’s killing, online court records show. 379th Criminal District Court Judge Ron Rangel handed down his punishment, which will run concurrent with a 15-year sentence that Portillo also received after drugs were found in his possession the day officers found his wife’s body.
“The horrific act of taking a loved one’s life cannot go unpunished,” Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said in a statement. “This sentence reflects our office’s commitment to justice, accountability and the families impacted by these devastating crimes.”