BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — On Thursday, a teenager pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a deadly drive-by shooting. Isaac Gonzales and another teenager are accused of killing an innocent woman on Oct. 4, 2022, when they shot up a home in the 11400 block of Bald Mountain Drive.
Gonzales is now 17 and his defense attorney says if he does well in prison, he may be eligible for parole when he is in his mid-30s. Gonzales accepted a plea deal on two felony charges: murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
A judge agreed to an arrangement worked out between the defense and prosecution. Gonzales faces a 40-year prison term for murder, to run concurrently with a 20-year prison term for the lesser charge. Judge Joel Perez asked the teen if he was pleading guilty because he is guilty. Gonzales answered with a quiet, "Yes sir."
Bexar County Sheriff investigators said Gonzales and the other teen, who was 14 at the time, fired about 100 rounds into a home where two women were shot. Detectives said the two shot up the wrong house, and that their intended targets lived next door.
Novita Brazil, 25, was working on her computer when she was struck, investigators say. She died at the scene. A 41-year-old Airbnb guest was shot in the leg, but survived.
Erica Campos lives nearby. She remembers Brazil as a sweet, hardworking woman.
"I was in shock," said Campos. "I felt really bad for Novita. She kept to herself, she had no idea - I'm sure - what was going on. For something like that to happen to someone so innocent is wrong. I would always take her trash [to the curb] for her and trim up her lawn, and she would always thank me. She only talked to a few neighbors, and was always at work and would come home."
According to Campos, Brazil moved in shortly before the shooting. She said the victim's brother, who owns the home, is devastated.
“He is so sad," said Campos. "He feels bad too because he is the one who told her she could live here. It happened quickly after she moved in. He was taking her out of a situation that wasn't good, thinking he was putting her in a better situation, and that happened. It's just horrible."
At an earlier hearing on the matter, one detective who took the stand told a juvenile judge it was one of the worst attacks he had ever seen. He used the term "Swiss cheese" to describe the neighborhood where homes and cars ended up with high powered rifle bullet holes.
After he was arrested, Gonzales bonded out of jail and cut of his ankle monitor. Investigators say he taunted law enforcement on social media, before being re-arrested. In a video released by the Bexar County Sheriff's Office (BCSO), Gonzales can be heard laughing and saying he will "just get out on another bond."
Inside the courtroom Thursday, Gonzales was seen smirking several times.
“I’m sure he doesn’t really understand what his actions did to people and their lives, but I’m sure in five years it’s not going to be funny to him anymore," said Campos. "I guarantee that.”
Gonzales could be eligible for parole in about 20 years. His attorney, Adam LaHood, said the teen was ready to admit what he did was wrong and begin serving time so that he could begin to put the incident behind him. The judge instructed court personnel to make sure Gonzales is given credit for the time he was detained while awaiting trial. Judge Perez told the teen even after he completes his term, he will have a federal prohibition against having any firearms.
Campos believes his punishment doesn't fit the crime.
“Not that they should take his life, but maybe he should at least do life [behind bars]," Campos said.
Formal sentencing for Gonzales is set for next Tuesday. LaHood said he hopes bad weather will not close the courthouse and delay the proceedings.
The co-defendant in the case, who is now 16, has also been certified to stand trial as an adult. The county clerk's website lists a trial date of January 12 in the 437th District Court for Rene Joe Gonzales. He is charged with murder and is being held in the adult jail without the possibility of bond. It's unknown if Rene Gonzales has also reached a plea deal.