SAN ANTONIO — Those in San Antonio’s legal community are shocked and saddened after learning one of their own was killed in a murder-suicide this week.
“It was like a gut punch,” said personal injury lawyer Rudy Vasquez.
Jerry Hernandez, 61, had more than 30 years of experience practicing law. He was found shot to death in his home off the 100 block of Cinnamon Oak in Shavano Park Wednesday morning. Authorities say his 52-year-old wife, Sonia Patricia Hernandez, shot him several times before taking her own life.
“Jerry’s loss was like a profound loss on the lawyers that do the type of work that we do in San Antonio. It was very sudden and we lost a real warrior,” Vasquez said. “He inspired a bunch of young lawyers. People would go to court to watch him.”
Vasquez and Jerry Hernandez grew up on San Antonio’s south side. While they didn’t know each other at the time, the two future attorneys graduated from the same high school.
Vasquez and Hernandez worked as attorneys together in Bexar County for years.
Hernandez had more than 30 years of experience in the courtroom, working alongside different law firms and running his own legal outfit that focused on personal injury cases.
Vasquez recalls the last time he spoke with Hernandez being about three months ago.
“I was getting ready for a trial and he had just won a trial and I wanted to copy his notes and so I called him and a lot of lawyers don’t like to share but Jerry would always freely share the information or the tactics that he used. They always worked better for Jerry than they worked for me. But he was always willing to help anybody who would call him,” Vasquez said.
The San Antonio Bar Association provided an emailed statement in light of Hernandez’s death:
"It is with profound sadness and deep sympathy that we acknowledge the untimely passing of Jerry Hernandez, a respected member of our legal community.
Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with Jerry’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. We extend our deepest sympathies and hope they find strength and solace in the cherished memories of a life well-lived."