SAN ANTONIO — A $60,000 reward is now being offered for information on the murder of a University of Incarnate Word (UIW) student.
It’s been nearly a year since Joseph Banales, 22, was gunned down in his car on I-35 near Olympia Parkway in Selma. It happened just before 11:45 p.m. on April 15, 2023. According to the Selma Police Department, Banales was the victim of an apparent road rage shooting. The suspect is believed to have been driving a dark sports car, possibly a Nissan 350Z/370Z, with a loud exhaust.
Frances Szabo says her son was on his way home from a military ball that night.
“We want answers,” said Szabo. “There is no reason for someone to be that angry over anything to take someone else’s life. Life is very valuable, and Joseph was a beautiful young man with his whole life ahead of him. Life goes on for everyone, but for us it stopped last year on April 15.”
Szabo says her son’s death literally broke her heart.
“I actually suffered three heart attacks that week,” she said. “Broken heart syndrome is a real thing.”
Banales, who was one of six children, was a twin. Szabo says her son comes from a military family. He was supposed to enter the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in December.
“He was just an incredible kid,” said Szabo. “It’s hard to describe him because he was just a perfect child. He didn’t drink, didn’t do drugs, he went to church, believed in God. On the really hard nights, I come and lay in his bed. His room is the same. All of the dirty laundry - I just don’t have the heart to go through and clean it.”
For Szabo, this past year has been excruciating, full of missed milestones.
“Our family is growing,” said Szabo. “One of my sons is expecting a child, so he would have been an uncle again. His [twin] sister is getting married. There are huge milestones that I will miss for him, so it's very hard. When something like this happens, what people don’t realize is they haven’t just taken one person out of this world. It doesn’t just affect that one person. They changed so many lives on April 15 of last year.”
She can’t believe her son’s killer is still out there.
“They are a danger to others,” said Szabo. “If they did it once, they will do it again. I don’t want another mother to go through what I am going through. Please come forward if you have any information, even the smallest detail.”
Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, while the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division is offering a $25,000 reward. Szabo says her family is now offering an additional $30,000 reward for information.
If you know anything, please call Crime Stoppers at 210-224-STOP.