Brownwood News – Jurors reportedly took less than an hour to find 34 year old Michael John Zarate guilty of the November 2, 2014 murder of his neighbor, Ernesto Gonzales Jr. The defendant was also found guilty of tampering with evidence. The prosecution is currently submitting evidence for the punishment phase of the trial. District Attorney Michael Murray’s team is seeking a life sentence conviction for Zarate.
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Brownwood Police investigators filed a complaint against then-suspect Michael Zarate in November 2014 with Brown County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Jim Cavanaugh’s court. According to the complainant, at 4:13 p.m. on November 2nd, the victim, Ernesto Gonzales Jr., was fatally shot after a verbal argument with Zarate and collapsed in an alleyway in the 1300 block of Brady Avenue.
Details in the report include witnesses at the scene identifying Michael Zarate as being the other party of the argument with Gonzales, a total of three shots were fired, and that a female had screamed “Stop Michael, stop!” during the argument. The complaint stated that Zarate fled, dismantled and disposed of a 9mm pistol near Depot Liquor on Vine Street and that he also traveled to Heartland Mall where he bought another shirt and changed into it before going to Mi Familia, a restaurant in Early, where he was located at around 5:30 p.m.
Jurors in the Zarate trial also heard evidence of a lengthy criminal history which included a Comanche County arrest in 2013 for Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child:
| Offense | Book Date | Release Date | Bond Amount | Bondsman |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PROH WEAPON/KNUCKLES/BRO CO CRT | 05/05/2010 | 05/06/2010 | $3,000.00 | A-ACTION BAIL BONDS-BROWNWOOD |
| NO DRIVERS LICENCE/BWD MUN | 05/05/2010 | 05/06/2010 | $0.00 | |
| FTA/BAIL JUMPING/BWD MUN | 05/05/2010 | 05/06/2010 | $0.00 | |
| FAIL TO ID/BRN CO CRT | 05/15/2010 | 05/16/2010 | $1,000.00 | A-ACTION BAIL BONDS-BROWNWOOD |
| ROBBERY/35TH JUD DIST COURT | 07/07/2010 | 07/07/2010 | $15,000.00 | A-ACTION BAIL BONDS-BROWNWOOD |
| ASSLT FV CBI STRANGULATION/35TH JUD DIST COURT | 07/07/2010 | 07/07/2010 | $10,000.00 | A-ACTION BAIL BONDS-BROWNWOOD |
| INTERFER W/EMER CALL/BROWN COUNTY COURT | 07/07/2010 | 07/07/2010 | $3,000.00 | A-ACTION BAIL BONDS-BROWNWOOD |
| EVADING ARREST DETEN/ 35TH DIST CRT | 12/12/2010 | 12/13/2010 | $5,000.00 | A-ACTION BAIL BONDS-BROWNWOOD |
| DWI-1ST/BROWN CO CRT | 03/09/2011 | 03/09/2011 | $2,500.00 | A-ACTION BAIL BONDS-BROWNWOOD |
| DWI/BROWN CO CRT | 03/17/2011 | 03/17/2011 | $50,000.00 | BOND BAIL BONDS-COMANCHE |
| DWLI/FTMFR/BROWN COUNTY COURT | 04/02/2011 | 04/02/2011 | $2,500.00 | BOND BAIL BONDS-COMANCHE |
| DRIVING WHILE LIC SUSPENDED/JP2 | 06/06/2011 | 06/06/2011 | $1,000.00 | PINKSTON BAIL BONDS |
| VPTA/JP2 | 06/06/2011 | 06/06/2011 | $700.00 | PINKSTON BAIL BONDS |
| 6 DAY COMMITMENT / VIOLATION DWI | 07/28/2011 | 09/02/2011 | $0.00 | |
| DRIVING W/LIC INV/BROWN CO CRT | 11/06/2011 | 11/07/2011 | $2,500.00 | PINKSTON BAIL BONDS |
| VIOL DWI/4 DAY COMMIT/BROWN CO CRT | 12/01/2011 | 12/03/2011 | $0.00 | |
| SW/DWLI/BROWN CO CRT | 03/23/2012 | 03/23/2012 | $1,500.00 | PR BOND PER JUDGE |
| DWLI W/ PREV CONVICTION/BROWN CO CRT | 07/13/2012 | 07/14/2012 | $2,000.00 | NITA’S BAIL BONDS |
| FTA/DWLI/BROWN CO CRT | 08/25/2012 | 01/20/2013 | $0.00 | |
| MTR/DWI/BRO CO CRT | 08/25/2012 | 01/20/2013 | $0.00 | |
| MTR/DWI/BRO CO CRT | 08/25/2012 | 01/20/2013 | $0.00 | |
| NO SEAT BELT/BRO MUNICIPAL CRT | 08/25/2012 | 01/20/2013 | $0.00 | |
| THEFT PROP>=$50<$500/90 DAYS BCJ | 02/27/2013 | 02/28/2013 | $2,000.00 | A-ACTION BAIL BONDS-BROWNWOOD |
| AGG SEXUAL ASSAULT CHILD/COMANCHE CO | 08/25/2013 | 08/26/2013 | $100,000.00 | |
| SEXUAL ASSAULT CHILD/COMANCHE CO | 08/25/2013 | 08/26/2013 | $75,000.00 | |
| AGG SEXL ASSLT CHILD/35TH JUD DIST COURT | 12/19/2013 | 03/11/2014 | $25,000.00 | QUICKWAY BAIL BONDS |
| INDECENCY W/CHILD SEXUAL CONTACT | 12/19/2013 | 03/11/2014 | $25,000.00 | QUICKWAY BAIL BONDS |
| FTA/THEFT/BROWN CO CRT | 12/19/2013 | 03/11/2014 | $0.00 | |
| THEFT/BROWN CO CRT | 12/19/2013 | 03/11/2014 | $0.00 | |
| SW/QUICKWAY/AGG SEXUAL ASSLT CHILD/35TH DIST | 11/03/2014 | $25,000.00 | ||
| SW/QUICKWAY/INDECENCY W CHILD/35TH DIST CRT | 11/03/2014 | $25,000.00 | ||
| IND/MURDER/35TH DIS CRT | 11/03/2014 | $500,000.00 | ||
| IND/TAMPER/FABRICATE PHYS EVID/35TH DIS CRT | 11/03/2014 | $100,000.00 |
According to the District Attorney, the victim Gonzales had called Zarate “Chester,” referring to the allegations of child molestation. Other evidence presented to the jury painted a picture of an ongoing feud between the neighbors Zarate and Gonzales, with Gonzales often becoming angry with Zarate for speeding near the residence and endangering children.
The feud apparently came to a boil on November 2nd when the pair had a verbal altercation. Zarate then went into his home, and returned with a gun, firing several shots as Gonzales fled to an alleyway.