BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A man was sentenced to over half a century of prison time for a 2023 East Side murder, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
A jury sentenced Ruben Ramirez to 55 years in prison for shooting and killing San Juan Melchor.
In April 2023, Melchor was visiting a home on the East Side of San Antonio when he was confronted by Ramirez, according to the district attorney’s office.
Ramirez fired a fatal gunshot to Melchor’s chest and was arrested more than a year later. He was found to be in illegal possession of a firearm in May 2025.
The district attorney’s office said Ramirez admitted to shooting Melchor but claimed self-defense. The jury dismissed his argument.
This is Ramirez’s third time in prison, according to the district attorney’s office.
Samuel Rocha joined KSAT as a Newsroom Trainee in the spring of 2026. He is a San Antonio native and a graduate of San Antonio College and Texas A&M University-San Antonio.