Pedro Espinoza Jr. receives life sentence for murdering US Army veteran Marlon Lindsey during an hour-long crime spree in December 2021.
SAN ANTONIO — A Uvalde man has been sentenced to life in prison after a shooting incident from 2021, officials say.
34-year-old Pedro Espinoza Jr. of Uvalde has been convicted by a Medina County jury of the murder of Marlon Lindsey, a US Army veteran and father of four.
Lindsey was a conductor of a railroad company in San Antonio the night of his murder. According to documents, Lindsey was being driven to the Hondo Railyard by another railway employee on Dec. 11, 2021.
Around 1:30 a.m., the vehicle was driving on US Highway 90 through Medina County. That’s when court documents say Espinoza was driving on the wrong side of the road. Officials say Espinoza was well into an hour-long crime spree.
A few witnesses described how Espinoza had struck their vehicles with bullets before the eventual deadly shooting.
Shortly before a deputy was able to locate Espinoza, he encountered the van with Lindsey and his coworkers inside. The driver of the van said she saw Espinoza’s vehicle coming towards them as she pulled off on the shoulder, fearing a head-on collision.
Slowing her speed to 30 mph, the vehicle passed. However, a loud sound was heard.
The van had been shot, and Lindsey, who had fallen asleep, was struck in the neck and started bleeding.
Espinoza’s vehicle was engaged in pursuit through Castroville. The pursuit didn’t end until the vehicle “became disabled” just east of the Median County/Bexar County line.
Espinoza was arrested and told deputies that he had smoked meth earlier in the night and thought a rival gang was after him.
His gun wasn’t found that night, but several shell casings, live rounds of ammunition and a magazine were found in his vehicle. These belonged to a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun.
The gun was found after days of searching the tall grass of Highway 90. Evidence suggested Espinoza threw the weapon out after he was found by officials because he thought it either jammed or run out of ammunition.
After 26 minutes of deliberation, the jury found Espinoza guilty, rejecting his plea that his “paranoid delusions excused the senseless killing of Lindsey.”
It was also found that Espinoza was a member of Tango Orejon, a gang in San Antonio.
He has been sentenced to life in prison and must serve 30 years before he is eligible for parole.