SAN ANTONIO — A Bexar County jury awarded $210 million to the family of Andreen McDonald on Friday in their wrongful death civil lawsuit against her husband, Andre McDonald.
The Air Force major admitted to killing his wife in 2019 and was found guilty of manslaughter in 2023. Initially, he was charged with murder, but during his trial, his lawyers argued that he killed Andreen in self-defense.
The family was represented by the Davis Law Firm, which released a statement saying the verdict "is understood to be the largest personal injury verdict in Bexar County history."
The jury awarded $110 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages.
The law firm claimed Andreen's daughter has sustained innumerable damages after the loss of her mother.
During Andre McDonald's criminal trial last year, he admitted to mutilating Andreen's body and attempting to hide the body in a field. A jury took two days to decide on a guilty verdict. He was sentenced to an additional five years for tampering with evidence.
Davis Law Firm's statement said the jury's decision "acknowledged the extreme loss and suffering felt by Andreen McDonald's mother and minor daughter."
"After the verdict, members of the jury stated that they wanted Andreen's mother and daughter to know how much they cared about them and that they wanted to send a message that Andre McDonald's despicable acts and assassination of Andreen McDonald's character in the criminal trial would not be tolerated in Bexar County, Texas," the statement read.
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