Bonds built between families after same man accused of killing son, brother
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Before March of this year, Anna Mendivil and Carmen Castillo were strangers.
Mendivil was about six months into grieving the loss of her 17-year-old son Erick. Castillo had no idea her brother was about to be killed. And neither could fathom the same person would allegedly be the one with the gun.
Mendivil's son Erick was shot and killed in Buda in August.
"No one understands until you go through it how traumatic that is," she said. "The waking up at night, crying, nightmares."
The Hays County District Attorney's Office deemed this shooting a case of self-defense and decided not to prosecute the person who fired the gun. But Mendivil knew going through the criminal justice process, his name was Jacob Gonzalez.
Gonzalez's attorney said the case was so open and shut, charges were never even filed.
Gonzalez arrested in March road rage shooting
Fast forward to this year. Mendivil saw Gonzalez's face again. Gonzalez was arrested and charged with murder. He's accused of shooting and killing Adan Marez in what police and prosecutors describe as a road rage case.
Marez was Castillo's brother.
"Anna saw a post about my brother on Facebook and she reached out to me and we met up at a restaurant and talked about everything," Castillo said.
"I'm trying to help somebody even though, you know, they're both gone," Mendivil added.
According to the arrest affidavit for the road rage case, Gonzalez admitted to shooting the gun. It reads "It was supposed to be a warning shot. I didn't mean for it to be fatal."
Defense attorney and retired judge Charlie Baird is representing Gonzalez in the March 8 shooting. When APD first provided details on the case, police said a road rage incident "spanned for miles" before the gunfire.
"Jacob was sitting in his vehicle, stopped at a red light. and a gentleman from another vehicle got out of his vehicle and approached Jacob in a threatening manner and when he did, Jacob was fearful, and in self-defense resorted to deadly force and shot the gentleman one time," Baird said.
Castillo has a hard time believing her brother would act in a way to escalate a situation to the point of being deadly.
"You took my brother, and you also took a piece of our hearts," she said.
Castillo, Mendivil share their grief, favorite stories about Erik, Adan
Castillo and Mendivil keep in touch, and Mendivil said she plans to support Castillo and her family through the criminal justice process.
Castillo described her brother as a family man and someone who was creative.
"My brother, he was a really funny guy. Always going around hugging us, loving us," she said. "He had a passion for art, he was a graffiti artist."
Mendivil said Erick was loving and a great brother to the rest of his siblings.
"My son was a really, really happy kid, he was the light of the party," she said.
They both wore shirts with their family member's photo on them.
"By wearing this shirt, it makes me feel that my brother is still with me, and our love will never fade," Castillo said.
Gonzalez is due back in court in September.