Left: Juan Manuel Yanez (Hays County District Attorney). Right: Victoria Valadez (Thomason Funeral Home).
A tragic incident unfolded in Texas where a man will now spend the rest of his life in prison after committing a chilling crime. Juan Manuel Yanez, 49, was sentenced for the murder of his girlfriend, Victoria Valadez, 43, whom he shot while she slept in her San Marcos apartment. Soon after the murder, Yanez casually purchased beer and traveled to another city where he resided with a different family.
The Hays County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Yanez’s life sentence following his guilty plea earlier this month. Despite the severity of his crime, he will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years behind bars. The details of the case reveal a disturbing sequence of events that unfolded on February 7, 2025.
Yanez contacted 911, describing Valadez as his “wife” and admitting to shooting her. Although he failed to give a specific location, the call was traced to an apartment on River Road in San Marcos, a short drive from Austin. Responding officers arrived to find Valadez with a gunshot wound to her head, and evidence suggested she was killed in her sleep, as there were no signs of a struggle.
After making the call, Yanez fled the scene. Surveillance footage revealed he had driven the victim’s truck to a nearby 7-Eleven, where he purchased four beers about 20 minutes before notifying authorities. He then returned to the apartment to make the call, indicating the murder had occurred before his beer purchase. Cold beers were still present when police arrived, and Yanez’s wallet was found on the bedstand next to Valadez. His clothing and jewelry were stained with her blood.
Further investigation uncovered that Yanez and Valadez were not legally married but had been romantically linked for several months. Following the murder, Yanez drove over 150 miles to Houston, where he lived with another family. During this journey, he disposed of the firearm, which authorities have yet to recover, and removed the SIM card from his phone, effectively evading tracking efforts.
Yanez was eventually apprehended near his Houston home, following a brief manhunt. Despite thorough investigations, prosecutors were unable to discern a motive behind the senseless killing, leaving many questions unanswered.
Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Jon English and Abigail Whitaker prosecuted the case.
“This sentence recognizes the truth of what happened in that apartment: a life was taken, a family was destroyed, and a community was disrupted. Justice required a sentence equal to the gravity of that crime,” English said in a statement. “Judge Pool’s sentence delivered that justice for the community and the victim’s loved ones, and the exceptional work of the San Marcos Police Department made this outcome possible.”
Added Whitaker: “The family showed extraordinary courage throughout this case and through the sentencing hearing. Their strength ensured the court saw not only the facts of the murder, but also the true cost to the victim’s family and the community as a whole.”
