Anthony Watson Jr. was involved in a robbery with two other suspects in August 2023, according to court documents.
SAN ANTONIO — An 18-year-old is facing 45 years in prison for a murder he did when he was 15, court documents say.
Anthony Watson Jr. was involved in a robbery with co-defendants Daquan Ruffin and Dontrae Suarez in August 2023, according to court documents.
The three arranged what appeared to be a legit car sale with two sellers, Fernando Martinez and Ricardo De La Fuente.
When everyone met at an isolated spot near Hume Road and Highway 281 in far south Bexar County, it turned into a robbery, according to officials.
During the robbery, Suarez was shot and killed by De La Fuente out of self-defense, and Watson shot and killed De La Fuente before fleeing the scene. Martinez was also severely injured.
De La Fuente was almost 20 when he died.
Police recovered a cell phone and spent shell casings and when he was well enough, they had the eyewitness account of the survivor who said he and his friend were trying to make a deal to sell a car.
The primary suspect became Watson.
The detective said a cell phone recovered near the bodies belonged to Watson and telephone company records confirmed the phone did indeed belong to the teen.
They said when they compared shell casings found at the scene to a gun that was later recovered, they found a match.
The detective said witnesses told him while Watson was making plans to test drive a Dodge Charger for a $5,000 cash sale, he was telling friends he had no intention of following through with a purchase, that his intention was to commit a robbery.
Watson has been sentenced to 45 years for his role in the murder of De La Fuente.
“Two young lives were lost in moments of violence that should never have happened,” Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said.