Plumbing 
John Van Meter
Two weeks in June have been blocked off on the 38th Judicial District Court calendar for the capital murder trial of the juvenile accused of killing 24-year-old boxer John Van Meter.
The trial has experienced numerous delays – some due to the COVID-19 pandemic – with more than four trial dates set and rescheduled since the shooting occurred at the beginning of 2019.
Currently, the trial is set to be tried in front of a visiting judge in the court from June 6-17.
At the time of the crime, a witness assisted in identifying a suspected shooter, who was then a 12-year-old student at Flores Elementary School.
Adult capital murder charges are punishable by death, but as the accused offender was a juvenile at the time of the crime, he may face up to 40 years of incarceration. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against imposing capital punishment on those under 18 years of age.
The shooting occurred shortly before 8 p.m. on Jan. 23, 2019, at 624 Boone St., where police say Van Meter resided with his girlfriend, Sammy Chapa. Chapa and her two children – one of whom was friendly with the accused juvenile – were present at the time of the shooting.
Police reports state the couple heard what sounded like someone attempting to kick in their door, and Van Meter went to check it out. Chapa called 911 after hearing a gunshot. Van Meter, who reportedly received a single gunshot to his head, was taken to Uvalde Memorial hospital and pronounced dead at approximately 8:43 p.m.
According to the Uvalde Police Department, witnesses reported seeing a male subject fleeing the area dressed in black clothing and wearing a black bandana across the lower part of his face. The male subject was said to have headed east toward Grove Street.
Later that night, law enforcement removed the 12-year-old suspect from an Elizabeth Street residence, roughly seven-tenths of a mile from the scene of Van Meter’s murder. The suspect was subsequently transported to and held at a juvenile detention center in Jourdanton.
Police said Texas Rangers also assisted in the investigation.
Van Meter, the son of Rebecca and John J. Van Meter, is survived by two children, son John Jayce Van Meter and daughter Amra Van Meter. He was preceded in death by one daughter, Emmalyn Van Meter.
He was a member of the Tree City Boxing Club in Uvalde for more than 10 years, and coached by his father and David Hernandez.
Van Meter’s last amateur match took place in May of 2015 when he took on Luis Carrasco of Crystal City in the Final Mayhem boxing event at the Uvalde County Arena at the Fairplex. He began his professional boxing career in August of 2015.
jkeeble@ulnnow.com, 830-278-3335
