Accused San Antonio killer weeps as judge announces not guilty verdict in brutal shooting, stabbing

Luis Antonio Arroyo Listens to attorneys Joel Perez (left) and Raymond Fuchs as he appears at his retrial in 227th District Court on July 26, 2018. On Tuesday, a Bexar County jury found Arroyo not guilty of murder in the deaths of two people. less Luis Antonio Arroyo Listens to attorneys Joel Perez (left) and Raymond Fuchs as he appears at his retrial in 227th District Court on July 26, 2018. On Tuesday, a Bexar County jury found Arroyo not guilty of ... more Photo: Tom Reel /Staff Photographer Photo: Tom Reel /Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 41 Caption Close Accused San Antonio killer weeps as judge announces not guilty verdict in brutal shooting, stabbing 1 / 41 Back to Gallery

A San Antonio man wept after being found not guilty Tuesday in his second trial in the deaths of two people at a West Side apartment in 2016.

Luis Antonio Arroyo, 42, was tried again on lesser charges after court proceedings ended in a mistrial last year.

The jury acquitted Arroyo on two counts of murder in the deaths of Rodney Spring, 47, who was shot once in the back, and Quickether Jackson, 36, who was shot five times and stabbed three times, on Jan. 21, 2016.

Arroyo was moved to tears once Judge Mark Luitjen read the not guilty verdicts on both counts.

Jackson’s mother, Tandylyn Jackson, 59, was stabbed and shot in the attack which reportedly occurred after an argument over a pack of cigarettes. She named “Tony” as the attacker in a harrowing 911 call heard in court last week; defense attorneys had argued there were other men named Tony living in the same apartment complex.

Arroyo initially was charged with capital murder in the attack that occurred in the Jacksons’ apartment in the 3800 block of Sherrill Brooks Drive.

He was tried in July, but after 10 hours of deliberations over two days, the jury was not able to reach a unanimous verdict, so Judge Kevin O’Connell declared a mistrial.

The Bexar County District Attorney’s Office opted to prosecute the case this time as a murder charge.

Related: Brutal stabbing-shooting capital murder case ends in mistrial

Lorina Rummel and Brandon Ramsey from the DA’s office were the prosecutors in the case. They did not comment on the verdict.

Arroyo’s defense attorneys, Raymond Fuchs and Joel Perez, argued in this trial, as in the last, that San Antonio police conducted a “shabby” investigation and did not follow up on reports that there was an unidentified man seen running down Bandera Road shortly after the incident. They also argued that the testimony of Tandylyn Jackson should not have been considered because she admitted to smoking crack cocaine that day.

Six deputies were in the courtroom when the Bexar County jury of 10 women and two men came back in court with their verdict.

Jurors, who usually stay afterward to speak to the judge and attorneys, declined to speak to anyone and abruptly left the court.

Perez and Fuchs were pleased with the verdict.

“We never know what way they (the jury) will go,” said Perez. “We always felt the state’s evidence was not enough to convince the jury.”

Fred Harris, Quickether Jackson’s father, said he still believes Arroyo was the gunman.

“I forgive the young man, though it’s a hard thing to do,” said Harris. “He’s someone’s child, but he killed my child.”

The jury received the case Friday. After about 4½ hours of deliberations, the panel was released by Visiting Judge Mark Luitjen for the three-day Memorial Day weekend instead of being sequestered.

Deliberations resumed at 9 a.m. Tuesday and the verdict was handed down at 2:43 p.m.

While Arroyo was acquitted in the deaths, he will remain in prison to serve a 99-year sentence he received in March after he was convicted of escaping from a correctional facility.

On March 2, 2018, Arroyo briefly escaped from the Bexar County jail with two others. Normally a third-degree felony, the escape charge was upgraded because Arroyo is considered to be a habitual offender.

He will be eligible for parole in the escape case in 15 years.

Elizabeth Zavala covers county and state courts in San Antonio. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863