Jimmy Tran appears in court (KSAT/screengrab)
The Texas man accused of robbing and murdering a man behind a San Antonio-area Wingstop was found guilty by a jury of his peers on Wednesday after several hours of deliberations.
Jimmy Coung Duc Tran, 19 years old at the time of the 2019 shooting, was convicted and sentenced in Judge Kristina Escalona's courtroom to life in prison without parole for the capital murder of Andres Salinas, 22, who worked at the Wingstop property where he was killed. Tran's defense attorney Joseph Hoelscher reportedly attempted to show that Salinas was the aggressor and would-be robber on Aug. 12, 2019.
"There is no direct evidence that Jimmy is the shooter," Hoelscher reportedly emphasized during closings, after at least one witness had failed to identify Tran as the shooter.
Although the guns used in the crime were never found, jurors needed four hours of deliberations to reach the conclusion that Tran was the triggerman. There was evidence that after the murder Tran sent highly incriminating texts about firearms, his involvement in a "crazy shooting," his need for complete secrecy, his need to flee and "lay low," and a requested "favor" regarding a rifle that had "gained one body" — Salinas was killed after being shot in the back by a rifle.
According to KSAT, those messages said: "Babe some s— went down, do you know where I can get a rack"; "I need to gtfo of San Antonio"; "Anybody trying to cop that AR for six bills"; "Babe I made the news"; "Dog I got in a crazy shooting earlier I need to lay low"; "Take the information you got today to your grave"; and "Hey gm my friend I need you to do me a favor later on today. Can you please set an alarm for 10 am today so I can drop the 223 off and I'll pick it back up later. Thank you and be aware it has gained one body so please be very careful with it thank you."
The prosecution reportedly also had Sebastian Espinar testify as a witness against Tran pursuant to a plea deal. Espinar acknowledged being angry at Salinas for selling fake Xanax pills but claimed Tran is the one who escalated the planned robbery to a murder case.
Jimmy Tran, Sebastian Espinar pictured in a KSAT segment about the shooting.
"I hear Jimmy say 'my money' and said 'get out,' and then a shot rang out," Espinar reportedly said in court.
Espinar is set to serve 25 years for his role in the drug-related slaying.
Bexar County court records reviewed by Law&Crime show that Tran had a history of run-ins with the law, including for robbery and firearm offenses, going back to 2016.