AUSTIN, Texas — A man who shot and killed a 22-year-old woman in South Austin will spend the next 40 years in prison.
On Dec. 12, a Travis County jury convicted 23-year-old Manolo Gonzalez of murdering 22-year-old Elizabeth Lopez on Jan. 6, 2023. The incident stemmed from a road rage incident, with Gonzalez shooting Lopez from his vehicle.
When officers and medics arrived at the scene, they found a crashed vehicle. According to an affidavit obtained by KVUE, officers determined that at the time of the crash, the vehicle was occupied by an adult driver and four children, ages 15, 14, 3 and 1.
Police located a woman in the crashed vehicle's driver's seat who was bleeding and appeared to be suffering from a gunshot wound. She was removed from the vehicle for treatment, but was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:50 p.m. On Jan. 11, 2023, police positively identified the victim as Lopez.
According to the affidavit, police interviewed two of the minors who were inside the car at the time of the crash. They informed police that when Lopez reached the intersection of East Stassney Lane and South Interstate 35 southbound, the suspect vehicle approached Lopez's vehicle from the rear at a high rate of speed.
Both minors reported that Lopez briefly lost control of her vehicle and swerved into the suspect vehicle's lane. The witnesses said that in approximately the 700 block of East Stassney Lane, the suspect vehicle pulled up to the right side of Lopez's vehicle and the driver began shooting at Lopez's vehicle, striking her in the head. This caused Lopez's vehicle to leave the road and crash into an apartment complex fence.
According to the affidavit, information from one of Lopez's family members, an officer who responded to the scene of the incident and Crime Stoppers tips led police to suspect 21-year-old Manolo Gonzalez in connection with Lopez's death.
Police learned that Gonzalez had two active warrants for his arrest: one for second-degree felony burglary of a habitation in Bastrop County and one for misdemeanor bond forfeiture in Travis County. He was arrested by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force at a Kyle hospital on Jan. 23, 2023.
During questioning, Gonzalez admitted to shooting at Lopez's vehicle during a road rage incident. He first encountered Lopez's vehicle as he was driving west on East Stassney Lane at Palo Blanco. He said that Lopez's vehicle cut him off several times and wouldn't let him pass. He also said that due to the dark tint, he couldn't see inside the vehicle and he feared for his life.
Police used Google Maps to determine that Gonzalez had multiple opportunities to turn away from the vehicle in front of him, but he continued to follow it for more than a mile.
Upon reaching the 700 block of East Stassney Lane, Gonzales admitted to firing at Lopez's vehicle multiple times, resulting in her death. During the interview, Gonzalez also provided additional details that were corroborated by evidence found at the scene, according to the affidavit.
“Our office is grateful to our dedicated staff and law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly to hold the defendant accountable and seek justice for the victim’s family,” said Travis County District Attorney José Garza. “We hope this verdict continues to help the victim’s family with their healing process.”