A judge certifies 17-year-old Jayrobert Rangel to stand trial as an adult for murder and six aggravated assault charges.
SAN ANTONIO — A teen who was just 16 years old last December is 17 now, and on Friday he was certified to stand trial for murder as an adult.
In the 386th Juvenile District Court, Judge Jacqueline “Jackie” Valdes heard testimony about the allegations facing Jayrobert Rangel, who is also charged with six counts of aggravated assault in addition to the one murder count.
Police were called to the 300 block of Adaes on the west side on Dec. 30, just a few minutes before 6 p.m.
The lead homicide detective on the case, Chad Tudor, described in detail the frantic scene he found in a modest home where 18-year-old Ramiro Alvarado was found with a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.
At the time, family members told police Alvarado died a hero, because when bullets started penetrating the back side of the home, he ran toward danger to lock the door and get family members to the floor.
“There was a lot of people inside this house,” Tudor told the judge, adding “Walking through the scene, officers discovered several spent rifle shell casings in the back alley and the witnesses said the shooting came from the back alley.”
Tudor said four siblings, their mother and grandmother were all in the house at the time.
“Jayrobert is the lone shooter in this investigation. He is the shooter that ran into the alley and fired into the back of the home killing Ramiro,” Tudor testified, adding that the events leading up to the incident were recorded by a number of home security cameras on the block and one covert surveillance camera operated by federal investigators who were monitoring the area.
Tudor testified at least one other teen is charged in the case and he is awaiting trial and that investigators believe there are at least two more suspects they are trying to develop more information on.
The detective was followed on the stand by Dr. Terrence Naus, who described the psychological and other diagnostic work he did on the case.
Naus said Rangel had a disrupted childhood, marred by trauma and that he had suffered significant injuries over time as the result of child abuse.
Probation Officer Cristal Rodriguez testified Rangel has multiple previous referrals to the justice system and that when he was offered services as part of his probation, he often failed to cooperate.
Listening to the litany of offenses, the family of Alvarado, who filled up more than one bench, fought back tears and held on to one another for comfort.
Summarizing the case, defense attorney Adam Kobs told the judge he believes Rangel could still be helped within the confines of the juvenile system but prosecutor Jennifer McDaniel argued strongly that the transfer to the adult system is needed because, she said, Rangel’s violent behavior has been escalating.
Judge Valdes agreed, saying “He is mature and sophisticated enough that he should be treated as an adult and the seriousness of the alleged offenses…and the welfare of the community requires that this juvenile court waive its jurisdiction.”
Juveniles are not eligible for bond, but with his transfer to the adult system, bail was set at $200,000 on the murder charge and $30,000 for each of the six assault cases, bringing his total bond to $380,000.
If he were to make bail, he would be subject to GPS monitoring and have a no contact order with his co-defendants and the victims and their homes.
Valdes agreed that Rangel could continue to be housed at the juvenile detention center but she warned the teen that if he causes trouble, she would consider an immediate transfer to the adult jail.
Online records indicate his next court appearance is a pre-indictment setting on September 25.