By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
A jury in state district court here deliberated about two-and-a-half hours today before finding
Daniel Lopez guilty of shooting and killing Jose “Joey” Burgi on Oct. 2, 2023.
The same jury that found Lopez guilty will return to the courtroom on Thursday morning to
begin deliberating sentences.
The seven women and five men on the jury began their deliberations about 11:30 a.m. today after
hearing closing arguments from District Attorney Suzanne West, who is presenting the state’s
case, and Del Rio attorney Sostenes Mireles II, who is representing Lopez.
Over the course of their deliberations, the jurors sent out two sets of questions, which 83 rd
Judicial District Judge Robert E. Cadena, who is presiding over the trial, answered in writing
after conferring with West and Mireles.
About 1:50 p.m. today, some two-and-a-half hours after they began their deliberations, the
presiding juror notified the bailiff in the hall outside the jury room that they had reached a
verdict.
After members of the audience rushed back into the courtroom to find their seats, Cadena
addressed the packed gallery. The judge cautioned everyone against making any emotional
outbursts when the verdict was read. The audience included a group of friends of Raquel and
Ron Burgi, parents of Joey Burgi, as well as members of Lopez’s family.
“Please remain calm so we can receive the verdict and continue with our processes,” Cadena
said,
After jurors filed back into the jury box, Cadena asked the presiding juror to hand the verdict
form to the bailiff, who in turn handed it to the judge. Cadena read over the form, then returned it
to the bailiff, who gave it back to the presiding juror.
Cadena then directed Lopez to stand, and Lopez and Mireles stood and faced the jury.
The presiding juror then read the verdict, saying that the jury found Lopez guilty of murder “as
charged in the indictment.”
Cadena accepted the verdict, then asked Mireles and West whether they wanted the jurors polled.
Both said they did not.
Cadena called West and Mireles to the bench to speak to them briefly.
Shortly after the verdict was read, Lopez looked out into the audience in the gallery, where his
father, brother and sister-in-law were seated. Lopez’s brother and sister-in-law have attended
every day of the trial, from jury selection onward.
Cadena told the jurors that they had finished the first part of the trial, telling them he would give
the attorneys 30 minutes, and then he would ask them how they wished to proceed.
At the start of the 30-minute recess, Raquel and Ron Burgi shared a long embrace, then Raquel
Burgi also hugged Alondra Olivas, who had been Joey Burgi’s girlfriend at the time he was
killed.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
