El Paso man sentenced to 22 years in prison for boyfriend’s death

A speeding and intoxicated driver convicted of murder for a deadly 2015 crash in northeast El Paso was sentenced to 22 years in prison on Tuesday.

It marked the conclusion of a sometimes highly emotional trial in which 22-year old Jesus Alberto Mireles appeared visibly shaken at times — most notably when the guilty verdict in the case was delivered.

Jurors found Mireles guilty last week in the death of his boyfriend, 25-year old Daniel Nicholas Mendoza.

Mendoza was a passenger in Mireles’ car when Mireles lost control, went into a parking lot and hit an unoccupied van and two food trucks on a Sunday morning in December 2015.

Prosecutors outlined for jurors that Mireles was both intoxicated and driving recklessly at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour when that fatal crash happened. The jury deliberated for only a few hours before convicting him.

During the sentencing phase of the trial, Mireles’ family asked the jury to show him mercy.

Mireles’ mother broke down crying several times on the witness stand. She tried to hug son after she finished her testimony on the witness stand, but a sheriff’s deputy refused to allow the physical contact in the courtroom.