A Mission man was handed a 30-years prison sentence last week, according to a news release from the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office.
Visiting state District Judge Jose Longoria sentenced Julio Sanchez Nava to the term during a sentencing hearing on July 11.
Sanchez, who had a history of domestic violence related arrests, was found guilty by a jury of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a family member. The trial began July 8, the release read.
The trial was related to Sanchez’s arrest on the aforementioned charge by deputies with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 22, 2016.
On that date, deputies responded to the 8100 block of Poinsetta Drive in rural Mission for a call of a shooting, and found Tovar suffering from a gunshot wound.
According to the DA’s office, Sanchez shot Tovar in her upper right back area.
Court records also showed that Sanchez had allegedly assaulted Tovar in the past, specifically the most recent case prior to the shooting was March 1, 2015.
In that instance, Sanchez pushed Tovar enough to warrant authorities arresting him, according to the complaint.
As was the case for most of the charges against Sanchez, the charge against him from March 2015 was dismissed.
Beginning in 1994, through most recently in 2019, Sanchez was arrested for a range of crimes, mostly misdemeanors with a few felonies sprinkled throughout, with charges like theft, aggravated assault of a family member, driving while intoxicated, and assault with a deadly weapon, to name a few.
During the trial, the prosecution called sheriff’s deputies who responded to the shooting, the county’s forensic pathologist, and Sanchez’s wife testified about the December 2016 shooting.
The state was represented by assistant district attorneys Maggie Hinojosa, as the lead prosecutor in the trial, and co-counsel Jacob Salinas.
Sanchez was represented during trial by attorney Richard Alamia, records show.
Victim advocate Marlene Ramirez assisted the victim from the date of the offense to the conclusion of the case, the release read.
“No person should feel unsafe in his or her own home,” Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez Jr. said. “I commend our Sheriff’s Office, our dedicated prosecutors, and our Domestic Violence Unit for their dedication to bringing justice and protecting the victim.”
