Melissa Perez’s daughter, grieving an acquittal verdict, plans to honor her mother through mental health advocacy.
SAN ANTONIO — For the first time since three former San Antonio police officers were acquitted in the shooting death of her mother, Melissa Perez’s daughter is sharing how her family is coping and what they plan to do next.
Alexis Tovar said she broke down when the not-guilty verdict was read earlier this month at the conclusion of the four-week trial.
“I just remember physically crying and feeling that pain inside and having to get out of there,” Tovar said.
She described the trial as one of the most difficult experiences of her life — second only to the day she buried her mother in June 2023.
Perez, 46, was shot and killed inside her apartment after investigators said she charged at three officers with a hammer. Tovar said her mother had been experiencing a schizophrenic episode at the time.
“It just gave me flashbacks of just losing her all over again,” she said.
The jury ultimately found that the officers’ use of force was justified. Tovar said she tried to prepare herself for any outcome.
“I don’t win anything either way. My mom is gone forever,” she said. “She is someone I can’t get back ever again, so I walked in knowing that, and I put it all in God’s hands.”
After the verdict, Tovar visited the office of Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales. She said Gonzales and prosecutor Daryl Harris cried alongside her family.
Looking forward, Tovar said her family plans to focus on mental health advocacy in her mother’s honor.
“We bring awareness to mental health, and we honor our mom by giving back to those who are like her or who have been in a place she has been,” she said.
For the interview, Tovar brought a representative from the National Alliance on Mental Illness Greater San Antonio. William Alas, who runs the organization’s “Warm Line” — a free mental health hotline available daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. — said it offers support before people reach a crisis point.
“You can reach out and ask for help before you reach that point in a crisis,” Alas said. “Even if you have an ounce of hopelessness.”
Tovar said she wants others to know they are not alone.
As she focuses on healing, Tovar said she is also working on forgiveness.
“There’s one that I do want to forgive, and I hope I can forgive the other two — just not yet,” she said. “But I know God will give me the strength to do it.”
Tovar is also collecting items to donate to mothers staying in a recovery home where her mother once lived. She plans to deliver the donations ahead of Thanksgiving.
If you would like to donate essential items, you can email Tovar at alexismtova@gmail.com