Statewide report on 2023 deadly domestic violence details Bexar County cases

A new report from the Texas Council on Family Violence showed 205 Texans were victims of deadly domestic violence by intimate partners or stalkers in 2023.

It explained that 77% of all victims died of gunshots.

Thirteen women and one man were killed in incidents in Bexar County in 2023, according to the report. The deaths were caused by gunshots, expected for one stabbing.

Mariah Gardner of San Antonio said that number doesn’t capture the full impact of domestic violence. Gardner’s ex-husband shot her seven times and stabbed her two children with a knife. Her daughter Willow was killed but Gardner and her older daughter lived.

“Because we survived, we weren’t captured in the data,” she said. “So, imagine how many lives have been broken, how many lives have been destroyed, but they didn’t die?”

Statewide, 179 were female identified victims, 26 were male identified victims, and four were LGBTQ+ victims.

Other statewide findings of the report found 95% of murder-suicides were perpetrated with a firearm. Firearms by far exceeded fatal stabbings, physical assaults, and strangulations as the cause of all deaths.

Statewide, 92 of the victims had just ended relationships, more than half had taken steps to end the abuse before their deaths, and 72% of the victims were killed at home.

San Antonio’s deadly cases, as described in the postponement.
(Edited for clarity and style)

Alyssa Perez, 26
Jan. 27, 2023
Alyssa Perez died when her ex-boyfriend, Lazerith Carrillo, 18, shot and killed her in a vehicle. Carrillo also shot and killed Perez’s friend, Edward Acosta Jimenez, 32. Carrillo fled and attempted to carjack an occupied vehicle. Perez had ended the relationship with Carrillo. One week prior to the murder, he had fired a gun at Alyssa’s vehicle. Authorities arrested him and charged him with capital murder and robbery and burglary of vehicles.

Shannon Martinez, 37
March 18, 2023
Shannon Martinez died in her home when her husband, Jeremy Martinez, 43, shot and killed her. Martinez also shot and killed their daughter, Bailey, 7, before shooting and killing himself. Authorities found them after Shannon’s family requested a welfare check. Shannon Martinez had filed for divorce two months prior to the murder.

Zachary Williamson, 41
April 6, 2023
Zachary Williamson died when his ex-girlfriend, Israel Reyes, 23, shot and killed him in her apartment. Authorities arrested and charged Reyes with murder. Reyes had a history of violence against Williamson and a previous partner. In 2018, authorities arrested Reyes for setting fire to her previous boyfriend’s home and endangering a child. Williamson is survived by his sons.

Jade Alvarez, 22
April 6, 2023
Jade Alvarez died when her boyfriend, Adam Byrd, 23, shot and killed her. Byrd fled and authorities later questioned him regarding a robbery that happened days earlier. Byrd admitted to killing Alvarez after trying to force her to get pregnant, but she had refused. She is survived by her son, age 3.

Briann Hernandez, 30
May 3, 2023
Briann Hernandez died when her boyfriend, Albert Casanova, Jr., 39, shot and killed her at a hotel. Casanova left the hotel in Hernandez’s vehicle. The next day, hotel staff found Hernandez and called 911. Authorities arrested and charged Casanova with murder. Casanova was held in jail on a $200,000 bond for murder. Casanova had a criminal background resulting in firearm prohibitions. Hernandez is survived by her son, age 3.

Desiree Fisher, 24
Aug. 4, 2023
Desiree Fisher died when her boyfriend, Calaseo Brown, 20, shot and killed her. Zephaniah Cleaver, 17, and Demarcus Whitley, 18, conspired with Brown and shot Fisher. Authorities arrested and charged Brown with murder; his bond was set at $200,000. Authorities also arrested and charged Cleaver and Whitley with murder.

Emily Lopez, 33
Aug. 11, 2023
Emily Lopez died when her boyfriend, Jonathan Vasquez, 41, stabbed and killed her. Vasquez then killed himself. Lopez is survived by her son and her three daughters.

Deanna Mason, 34
Aug. 13, 2023
Deanna Mason died when her boyfriend, Giovanni Paschal, 40, shot and killed her at a gas station. Paschal then fled. Emergency responders transported Deanna to a hospital where she died. Authorities arrested Paschal and
charged him with murder; he was held on a $150,000 bond.

Priscilla Silva, 37
Oct. 16, 2023
Priscilla Silva died after her boyfriend, Melvin McClary, 56, shot and killed her. McClary then shot and killed himself.

Allison Cevallos, 36
Oct. 20, 2023
Allison Cevallos died when her fiancé, Michael Palafos, 37, shot and killed her in a vehicle. Palafos fled. Cevallos was five months pregnant. Authorities arrested and charged Palafos with capital murder. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Tamika George, 24
Nov. 3, 2023
Tamika George died after her ex-boyfriend, Antonio Eladjoe, 23, shot and killed her at her home. Eladjoe then shot and killed himself. Eladjoe’s mother found both and called 911. George is survived by her daughter and son.

Teresa Moreno Garcia, 66
Dec. 3, 2023
Teresa Moreno Garcia died when her ex-husband, Martin Garcia Jr., 54, stabbed and killed her. Garcia then cut his wrists. Emergency responders transported Garcia to a hospital for treatment of injuries. Authorities arrested and charged him with murder. Teresa Garcia had divorced Martin Garcia and was trying to have him evicted from the home. She had planned to leave the home when she was killed. Garcia is survived by her sons.

Shamiah Allen, 21
Dec. 15, 2023
Shamiah Allen died when her boyfriend, Donevyn Bowie, 22, shot and killed her. Officers found Shamiah deceased. Authorities arrested and charged Bowie with murder. His bond was set at $100,000.

Eriawna Curry, 25
Dec. 28, 2023
Eriawna Curry died after her ex-husband, Ryan Walser, 27, shot her. Emergency responders transported her to a hospital where she died. Curry had separated from Walser and went to his home to collect his belongings. Authorities arrested and charged Walser with murder. Curry is survived by her sons, ages 1 month and 2 years

KERA’s Caroline Love contributed to this report.