Convicted killer in double shooting in Goliad has died by suicide
By James Muñoz - 25 News Now,
2023-05-21GOLIAD, Texas - Inmate Daniel Mendoza, TDCJ #2344969, is dead at age 22. On May 11, 2023, around 6:24 a.m. Mendoza was found unresponsive in his cell. Staff members began life-saving measures and called 911. Unit medical staff arrived and assisted with trying to save Mendoza. He was taken on a gurney to the medical unit. EMS arrived and contacted the Justice of the Peace who pronounced Mendoza dead at 7:16 a.m. The Office of Inspector General was notified.
Mendoza arrived to prison on May 12, 2021, to serve a life sentence for murder out of Goliad County and a 20-year sentence for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon also out of Goliad County. All inmate in custody deaths are investigated.
The crime
In June of 2019 the Goliad County Sheriff’s office got a call to the 100 block of South Mt. Auburn near West Franklin just before midnight. It was a Thursday night when they discovered a man dead in a car parked in front of a home. A woman was found shot and taken to a hospital in San Antonio. An infant baby boy in the back seat was not physically hurt. The victims were seated in the car when the shooting took place. The murdered victim was identified as Nathan Cortinas, 19. Briana Bexley, 18, was critically hurt with one gunshot wound. Cortinas was shot seven times. The infant was son to Cortinas and Bexley is the child's mother. The victim's were shot at close range.
The trial
In March of 2021 a Goliad County jury found Daniel Mendoza guilty in the murder Cortinas and guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and child endangerment. The jury deliberated for less than 15 minutes that Tuesday morning. Mendoza was 18 at the time of the double shooting.
The state called on four witnesses to testify at trial including star witness and survivor Bexley and the lead investigator. Prosecutors said the shooting happened due to 'bad blood' between Mendoza and Cortinas. Mendoza ran from the murder scene but was arrested around 5 a.m. that Friday morning at a convenience store.
Mendoza was sentenced to life in prison. Authorities found rap lyrics on a legal pad belonging to Mendoza that described the shooting that claimed the life of Cortinas.
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Murder trial continues in Goliad County
GOLIAD, Texas – The murder trial of David Mendoza began on Tuesday, March 30 with opening statements from both sides. Daniel Mendoza, of Goliad, was accused of shooting Nathan Cortinas and Brianna Bexley in June of 2019. Nathan Cortinas was 19-years-old when he died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head and Bexley, who was 18 at the time, was…
Daniel Mendoza found guilty in the murder of Nathan Cortinas
GOLIAD, Texas -A Goliad County jury found Daniel Mendoza guilty on all three counts including murder. He was found guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and child endangerment. The 20-year-old shot Nathan Cortinas and Brianna Bexley. Cortinas died in the incident. His infant son and Bexley survived. The jury deliberated for less than 15 minutes Tuesday morning. Brianna…
Goliad Murder Trial continues following emotional testimony
GOLIAD, Texas – Day four of the murder trial of Daniel Mendoza ended Monday afternoon after an examination of evidence involved in the case. Daniel Mendoza, 20, is charged with shooting Nathan Cortinas and Brianna Bexley while the pair were inside a vehicle parked outside a home near the intersection of South Mt. Auburn and West Franklin streets in Goliad….
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