Sentencing begins for man found guilty of murdering El Paso Sheriff’s deputy
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The sentencing phase of the Facundo Chavez murder trial began Friday morning at the El Paso County Courthouse.
A jury found Chavez guilty on Thursday of the 2019 capital murder of El Paso County Sheriff's Deputy Peter Herrera.
Chavez will either receive life imprisonment with the possibility of parole, or the death penalty. His fate will be decided by the jury.
The prosecution has presented letters sent by Chavez from his time in jail, as well as former convictions of marijuana possession and felony possession of a controlled substance. The jury will take that evidence into consideration while deliberating Chavez's sentence.
Chavez shot and killed El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputy Peter Herrera on March 22nd, 2019, in San Elizario.
The prosecution team informed Judge Diane Navarrette that it intends to finish examining its witnesses by Monday, August 7th.
The defense team told the judge that it expects to have four to five witnesses, and will need around an hour to question each.
To read ABC-7's reporting from inside the courtroom as witnesses testified in the murder trial, click here.
ABC-7 has had a crew inside of the courtroom for each day of the trial, bringing you complete team coverage. Count on continued coverage through the end of the sentencing phase.
