SAN ANTONIO — April Luna remembers this day last year. Oct. 26, 2023, was the last time she was able to celebrate her granddaughter turning another year older.
Luna shared photos of MaryAnn Marble from that day, smiling and making silly faces. She said MaryAnn was full of energy and life.
But this year, instead of a celebration, Luna and her family are navigating grief and doing their best to honor the 4-year-old girl who should have been turning five.
“Every night when I lay down I just miss her because we slept together every night and now, never again," Luna said. "But today we’ll celebrate her life you know."
MaryAnn was shot and killed on Oct. 8 while inside her home off Windsor Hollow Drive. Her two parents and two siblings were seriously hurt. The Bexar County sheriff called it a targeted attack fueled by a feud between the suspect and young girl's father.
Luna was home at the time but was not struck by the gunfire.
“I run downstairs and that’s when I saw her on the floor bleeding out you know and she just looked gone already so I lifted her up and I was like help me help me," Luna said.
For nearly six months, she has waited for answers. But investigators said MaryAnn's father was not cooperating, making the case challenging to solve.
But just a few days shy of her birthday, Luna finally got a taste of justice.
“It meant everything watching him on the camera," Luna said.
Wednesday night, Luna turned on a live stream to watch 20-year-old Isaiah Perales walked away in handcuffs by Bexar County deputies. Perales is facing a lengthy list of charges including capital murder.
"That night was the first night I was able to sleep in peace you know," Luna said.
But Sheriff Javier Salazar made it clear during a press conference that night, Perales did not act alone and more arrests were to come. He named two persons of interest, Bryan Salazar, who is already facing a tampering with evidence charge, and Ashton Garcia.
“She should be here right now," Luna said. "She had no part in what happened and neither did we and neither did my other grandkids that were shot and neither did my daughter.”
Luna said she will continue to advocate for justice as investigators work the case. In the meantime, she said she finds comfort knowing her grandbaby is in heaven.
“She’s our guardian angel," Luna said.
As the investigation continues, law enforcement are urging anyone with information that could lead to additional arrests to call the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at (210) 335-6000.
There’s also a San Antonio Crime Stoppers award of $10,000. That number is (210) 224-7867.