who is shawn gant-benalcazar attorney

Full Answer

What is the sentence for Gant Benalcazar?

He was convicted in May 2018. In November 2018, Gant-Benalcazar, 34, was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life without parole.

Where did Gant Benalcazar meet with Parlin?

Still, investigators met with Gant-Benalcazar in Galveston. Although he claimed to have no knowledge of the murders, he admitted he had been in Austin and stayed with Parlin at the time of both homicides. Red flags rose up. Over the course of a lengthy interview, Gant-Benalcazar kept changing his story.

What did Kerry Scanlon think of Blair?

He and fellow Austin PD detective Kerry Scanlon felt like the murder scene had been staged to look like a robbery, and thought Blair had specifically been targeted.

Who was arrested for the murder of Kathy Blair?

Investigators arrested Gant-Benalcazar for the murder of Kathy Blair. However, officials lacked physical evidence and a confession to charge Gant-Benalcazar in the Shelton murders. In Texas, if you’re complicit in a crime you can be held equally responsible.

Who killed Kathy Blair?

Eventually, Gant-Benalcazar admitted to going into the house and killing Blair. In a taped interview he said: “She woke up, she lunged at me. It was a struggle and I stabbed her in the neck.”. He said nothing about the Sheltons. Investigators arrested Gant-Benalcazar for the murder of Kathy Blair.

Did Gant Benalcazar stop in a neighborhood?

Over the course of a lengthy interview, Gant-Benalcazar kept changing his story. He mentioned that Parlin and he had stopped “in a neighborhood” for some unspecified reason. During a break, detectives observed that Gant-Benalcazar’s physique and walk matched the figure in the infrared video.

BACKGROUND

Because appellant does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction, we provide only a general overview of the facts of the case. We provide additional facts as necessary to advise the parties of the Court's decision and the basic reasons for it. See Tex. R. App. P. 47.1, 47.4.

DISCUSSION

Appellant raises three points of error. In his first point of error, he argues that the trial court abused its discretion by denying his motion to suppress his incriminating statements.

Motion to Suppress

In his first point of error, appellant asserts that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress his incriminating statements.

Jury-Charge Error

In his second and third points of error, appellant complains about alleged error in the jury charge resulting, he maintains, from the trial court's denial of his requested jury-charge instructions concerning the voluntariness of his statements. During the charge conference, the following exchange occurred:

CONCLUSION

Having concluded that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying appellant's motion to suppress and having determined that no error exists in the jury charge, we affirm the trial court's judgment of conviction.

Shawn Gant-Benalcazar admitted to killing Kathy Blair

The cops questioned Gant-Benalcazar and were shocked when during the course of the five-hour interview, he confessed to killing Blair. He admitted to being Parlin’s partner in crime and to stabbing his victim in the neck when she awoke while they were robbing her home.

More from A Time To Kill

Follow the links to read about more murders profiled on A Time To Kill.

How long was the trial of Shawn Gant-Benalcazar?

After 19 hours of deliberation, a judge has declared a mistrial in the capital murder trial of Shawn Gant-Benalcazar.

What was Gant Benalcazar's testimony read to the jury?

Gant-Benalcazar's testimony read to the jury was in regards to the defendant's conversations with Tim Parlin regarding Kathy Blair's death.

Who convinced Gant Benalcazar to commit a burglary?

The defense told the jury about Timothy Parlin, 52, saying Parlin developed a relationship with their client “deliberately” with the goal to get Gant-Benalcazar to help him and work with him. They said Parlin convinced Gant-Benalcazar to commit a burglary, but it wasn’t the burglary at Blair’s home.

Who killed Billie Shelton?

Authorities arrested and charged Parlin in connection with the burglary leading up to Blair’s death as well as two other murders days after Blair died. In May, Parlin was found guilty of killing Blair in her northwest Austin home Dec. 6, 2014 — as well as the deaths of Sidney and Billie Shelton, who were killed in their north Austin home Dec. 15, 2014. During closing arguments, the prosecutor called Parlin the “mastermind” behind the killings.

Who killed Kathy Blair?

Gant-Benalcazar, 34, is accused of killing Kathy Blair, a choir teacher with the Christian Choral Society of Austin, during a robbery attempt in December 2014. She was stabbed and strangled.

What happened at 12343 Hunters Chase Drive?

The Austin Fire Department reports crews attacked the fire at 12343 Hunters Chase Drive around 2:25 a.m. Firefighters rescued one person, who was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.