No decision on punishment, jury continues deliberations Wednesday morning

UPDATE: Jurors will reconvene at 8:30 Wednesday morning to continue deliberations in the sentencing phase for Juan “Johnny” Gonzalez.

After three hours behind closed doors Tuesday, the jury could not decide on a punishment for Gonzalez.

The judge was forced to sequester jurors for the night.

It’s been an emotional day of testimony in the courtroom today as the sentencing phase continues in the murder trial of Juan “Johnny” Gonzalez.

Monday night, jurors found him guilty of murder in the 2012 beating death of off-duty El Paso Police officer Jonathan Molina.

To influence the jury’s decision on a sentence for Gonzalez, both the prosecution and defense wanted to show the emotional impact the outcome of this trial will have.

So they called friends and family of the convicted murderer and the victim to express how the crime has impacted them.

The prosecution presented five witnesses, including Molina’s former police training officer and, later on, his partner Sgt. Sandra Zamudio.

She had a hard time keeping her composure as the prosecution asked her about the training and work she and Molina shared.

“Field training is a whole lot like parenting,” Zamudio said. “You see these officers be born. They cannot survive the streets without a field training officer, much like a newborn.”

Jurors also heard from Gonzalez’s grandmother, Maria Louisa Gonzalez.

The only defense witness fought through tears as she described how Gonzalez’s arrest hit the gonzalez family as a whole.

“He’s my life,” Gonzaelz’s grandmother said while sobbing. “I never stopped loving him.”

The same jury who convicted him will decide his punishment, anywhere from 5 to 99 years in prison.