SAN ANTONIO – A man accused of a double murder and arson to cover up the crime had his capital murder charge dismissed Tuesday morning.
A jury was expected to be selected in a trial for Juan Antonio Reyes this week, but the case was dismissed by the District Attorney’s Office, according to online court records, due to insufficient evidence.
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Reyes and his co-defendant, John Bishop Torres, are accused of fatally shooting two of Reyes’ relatives in 2022 and setting their home on fire.
The victims, 39-year-old Sergio Soto and his 51-year-old aunt, Rachel Martinez, were found by firefighters after they extinguished the fire.
According to an arrest affidavit, both victims had been shot in the head.
Investigators used surveillance footage to identify Reyes and Torres as suspects. The video reportedly showed the two leaving the home shortly after it was set on fire, according to court documents.
In October, Reyes’ attorneys informed the judge there would be no further delays in the case, and both sides seemed ready to head to trial.
Reyes had a previous 2018 aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge that was dismissed in 2021 due to a missing witness.
With no other pending cases, Reyes will be set free from jail.
Torres, the co-defendant in the case, is still charged with capital murder and has a pre-trial motions hearing on Friday.
KSAT 12 reached out by email to the DA’s office about the dismissal but did not hear back by the time of publication.