Lubbock Shooter Trial Ends in Justice With Severe Prison Sentence

The Incident

A young man has been sentenced for the shooting death of a random stranger from 2020. The incident occurred at the Walmart near 4th Street and Frankford Avenue in December of 2020 when 42-year-old Roel Munoz went to the store with his wife. Munoz got off the vehicle to look for Christmas ornaments and continued shopping when he encountered 23-year-old Kaleb Vasquez in an aisle and gave him a head nod.

KAMC news reports that after that encounter is when Vasquez walked up behind Munoz and shot him in the back of the head. Reports state soon after is when Vasquez immediately ran from the scene using an emergency exit, he was captured on video surveillance running out the garden center and across the parking lot towards West Loop 289. Vasquez then attempted to steal a car at a Stripes nearby and got into an altercation with the owner of the vehicle and was arrested soon after near the Stripes. Vasquez stated he was under the influence of something by stating he was high while in custody.

The Evidence

After Vasquez' was arrested his vehicle was searched with the permission of a family member. In the vehicle investigators discovered three boxes of ammunition and a gun was in a family members vehicle who  contacted police when they noticed it was missing. Police and a forensic specialist were able to locate the gun used in the murder of Munoz in a nearby storm drain. Video footage from Walmart was also pulled and statements from employees and shoppers who witnessed the event or were nearby also had their statements taken or testified during the trial.

Trial

During the trial it was revealed that Vasquez had come to Lubbock in an attempt to get clean from his drug abuse problem. Which defense attorney Ryan Phelan stated during the trial that Vasquez was drug addict. Vasquez is said to have taken a gram of meth the night before he went to the Walmart with some family members. Vasquez did state that he had been hearing voices leading up to the shooting and says the devil told him to kill Munoz or his own family would die.

Verdict

It was revealed that Munoz and Vasquez did not know each other at all before the incident. The jury took into account all the evidence and testimonies against Vasquez  and after four hours reached a verdict that prosecutors were trying to accomplish. Vasquez was sentenced to life in prison for the 2020 murder of Roel Munoz. Munoz wife of 20 years was not able to witness the verdict as she passed away shortly after Munoz' death.