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An Eagle Lake man was sentenced to 25 years of jail time after being convicted of murder stemming back from a 2021 shooting.
25th District Judge William D. Old III weighed down his judgement in the trial of State V. Cairo Ruvalcaba Jr. for Ruvalcaba’s role in the shooting and killing of Columbus resident Keaton D. Hancock three years prior.
Multiple shootings occurred over the span of three days in September 2021, with the first of them taking place in the earlier hours of Sept. 8, 2021. Shots were fired on the streets of Union, Walnut, Prairie, East State and North Mc Carty. The next day in the late hours of Sept. 9, 2021, a drive-by shooting also took place at the Eagle Lake Funeral Home.
At approximately 2:04 a.m. on Sept. 10, 2021, a drive-by shooting took place in Columbus that left one man, Hancock, dead. Just one hour later at 3:04 a.m. that same night, another driveby took place at the 500 Block of Stephens St. that left one man, Jonathon Segura, dead.
Ruvalcaba was arrested on Sept. 24, 2021, in Sinton after a warrant was put out for his arrest following the shooting of Hancock two weeks prior.
According to the initial indictment, Ruvalcaba shot a firearm “at or in the direction” of Hancock, alongside Joey Casanova, another party involved in the string of shootings, resulting in Hancock’s death.
The now convicted felon met his fate on Wednesday, Dec. 11, after waiving the right to have a trial by jury, pleading guilty to the murder charge with no right to appeal.
The sentencing is the second to last one in a line of convictions that resulted from an incident resulting in the deaths of Hancock and Segura. Ruvalcaba was part of the group that shot at and killed Hancock, inciting the retaliatory violence against Segura that followed.
Dontrae Johnson, Dante Larenz Stevens, Daegan Mendoza and Casanova, the other parties involved in the shootings, already had trials held and were sentenced earlier this year, with Ethan Lee Dulany now being the only person left on the docket connected to the two killings.
Dulany is set to have a jury trial next year, Jan. 27, for the charges of murder, aggravated robbery, theft of property and theft of firearm. His combined bond has been set at $215,000.
Stevens and Casanova were the only two involved in the shootings sentenced to life in prison, while Johnson (12 years), Mendoza (10 years felony probation) and Ruvalcaba (25 years) received lighter sentences.
Colorado County District Attorney Jay Johannes, who worked on the case against Ruvalcaba and the other parties involved, said the defendant met his sentencing “with resignation.” Johannes felt that ultimately, “justice was served,” and Hancock’s fami ly were “satisfied” with the sentencing.
“I believe that the victim’s family is satisfied with the sentencing,” said Johannes. “I felt that justice was served. I appreciate that the defendant accepted responsibility and did not put the family through the emotional stress of a trial. It was a culmination, or with respect to his case, the final chapter in an unnecessary situation.”
