Jurors will resume deliberations Wednesday morning on a sentence for a 19-year-old man convicted of fatally beating an El Paso police officer.

On Monday, jurors convicted Juan Antonio "Johnny" Gonzalez of murder in the death of Officer Jonathan Molina in 2012.

State prosecutors had accused Gonzalez of punching Molina as Molina argued with one of Gonzalez's friend, then pulling Molina's legs out from under him.

Molina, who was off duty and not in uniform at the time, struck his head on a concrete driveway and suffered a severe brain injury. He died nine days later.

The confrontation on Sept. 25, 2012 began after Molina saw Gonzalez's friend, Juan Antonio "Tony" Gomez, scratch his car, which was parked outside of Molina's home on Trowbridge Drive.

Adriana M. Chávez

Molina, 29, lived with his mother, Hussim Weaver, who testified Tuesday about the impact of her son's death.

"My son loved life and he had respect for everything," Weaver testified in Spanish, at times sobbing while on the stand. "I only want you (the jury) to be fair. I don't expect you to understand me. If that were it then you'd have to go through what I went through."

Weaver also told jurors she had just arrived home the evening of her son's beating and saw a man covered in blood running on the street. She then saw her son, his face bloodied, lying on the ground.

"My first impulse was to run and hug him," Weaver said between sobs. "I couldn't hug him to say goodbye."


Jurors also heard testimony about Molina's military background. He joined the Marine Corps when he was 17 and was deployed to Iraq three times. After joining the El Paso Police Department in 2008, he was deployed to Afghanistan with the reserves for about a year.

Molina's sister, Jessica Molina, testified that at the time of her brother's beating, she was five months pregnant with twins — a boy and a girl. She told jurors she was close to her youngest brother, who dreamed of joining the Marines since he was a boy.

Jessica Molina told jurors that she often visited her brother in the hospital after the beating, and described talking to him about his soon to be born niece and nephew.

"I told him I was sorry he wasn't ever going to meet them or hold them," Jessica Molina testified as she cried loudly. "I got his hand and placed it on my stomach as I talked to him and introduced them."

During closing arguments Tuesday afternoon, defense attorney Ruben Morales asked jurors to find Gonzalez acted in "sudden passion," which would reduce his sentence range from five to 99 years or life, to two to 20 years in prison. He also asked jurors to sentence Gonzalez in the "lower end" of that range.

"Johnny can be rehabilitated. Johnny can be a productive member of society," Morales told jurors.

Assistant District Attorney Denise Butterworth asked jurors during her closing argument to consider a prison sentence between 60 years and life, with no sudden passion finding.

"I'm asking that the punishment fit the crime, and that you look at why he (Jonathan Molina) had to die," Butterworth said. "Please, by your verdict, honor Officer Molina."

Jurors will resume their deliberations at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday in the 346th District Court.

Adriana M. Chávez may be reached at 546-6117.