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CORPUS CHRISTI -- Jose Gonzales, the former Alice police officer was found guilty of capital murder Thursday afternoon. Prior to the Gonzales took the stand in his own defense. He told the court he… Click to Read More and see additional updates

CORPUS CHRISTI -- Jose Gonzales, the former Alice police officer was found guilty of capital murder Thursday afternoon. Prior to the Gonzales took the stand in his own defense. He told the court he doesn't remember many of the details from that day in December of last year when Leslie Morin, 31, was shot to death.

"A lot of those details I can't recall," Gonzales said.

Gonzales says he remembers making several phone calls to Leslie the night before the shooting but he says Leslie's mother, Dianna, wouldn't let her talk to him but had a few words of her own.

"If I wanted to kill myself, to do it," Gonzales said.

Gonzales says that's what set him off and put him on the road to Annaville, where he describes how he was trying to get inside the home.

"I started banging, I remember that I was banging on the side of the wall of the mobile home," Gonzales said.

After going through Leslie's smart phone, Gonzales says he found numerous messages between Leslie and other men including another officer with the Freer Police Department.

"I was trying to talk to her, only thing I remember saying is, you know, why was the cheating and all I remember was flashes, several flashes," Gonzales testified.

Gonzales' attorneys say the conversations are at the base of this incident and why this happened. They enter some of the Facebook messages into evidence.

"After the holidays let's run away together."
"Wish I could be there with you, with a sad face."

Those are just some of the messages presented to the jury to help with Gonzales defense. However, Gonzales testified that Leslie was not only cheating on him but also trying to get full custody of their son Dominic.

"She was going to get Leslie to get an attorney and take away my son," Gonzales said.

Prosecutors turned the jurors right back to the rest of the elements of this case. The bloody t-shirt riddle with bullet holes that Leslie was wearing, the broken door that Gonzales testified to banging on and the casings and pistol found at his home in Alice.

"You admit that you shot Leslie Morin?" Prosecutors asked.
"The evidence points that way, yes," Gonzales responded.

Gonzales was found guilty as charged for the intentional murder of Leslie Morin, he will spend the rest of his life behind bars for that charge and is facing further punishment for count two, burglary of habitation with intent to commit aggravated assault.

CORPUS CHRISTI - A Nueces County jury has found Jose Gonzales III guilty of capital murder for the death of his common-law wife, Leslie Morin. He was also convicted of breaking into her family's home in order to commit the murder. Prosecutors were not seeking the death penalty in this case. Gonzales will receive an automatic life sentence.

CORPUS CHRISTI - The jury is now deliberating in the capital murder trial of former Alice police officer Jose Gonzales III. Prosecutors say Gonzales hunted down and killed his common-law wife, Leslie Morin, as she hid in a closet at her family's home in Annaville last December.

Gonzales allegedly killed Morin and fled with his son to Alice. His fellow officers talked to him for several hours during a standoff in which he allowed his son to leave the house and surrendered peacefully.

Morin's daughter gave chilling testimony on Wednesday about trying to check on her mother's well being after she was shot. On the stand this morning Gonzales claimed he remembered very little about the shooting.

Closing arguments wrapped up this afternoon. If the jury comes back with a verdict today, we'll keep you updated.

If convicted of capital murder, Gonzales faces life in prison.

CORPUS CHRISTI - Closing arguments are set for this afternoon in the capital murder trial of former Alice police officer Jose Gonzales III. Prosecutors say he shot his common-law wife, Leslie Morin, and then kidnapped their son from a family home in December 2011.

Gonzales took the stand in his own defense this morning. He told the court that Morin was trying to take his son, who he described as his "best friend."
He also claims, I don't remember anything, I just remember flashes."

Yesterday, Morin's daughter testified about her last moments with her mother. "I went back into the closet where mom was and I go 'mom' and she like moves, she moves and I'm like 'mom get up, mom' and all she does is move once and I look at her face and I see the blood."

Gonzales later released his son during a standoff with fellow officers at his home in Alice the same day as the murder.

If convicted of capital murder, Gonzales faces life in prison.

CORPUS CHRISTI -- Testimony continued in the trial of Jose Gonzales III, the former Alice police officer accused of shooting his common law wife, Leslie Morin, then kidnapping their son. Leslie's daughter, Amber Gamez, 14, vividly testified about the last time she saw her mother.

"I just remember seeing them in the closet and I just hear shots that's all I hear and I'm screaming my head off, screaming, freaking out, panicking, I don't know, I don't know what's going on," Amber said. "I went back into the closet where mom was and I go 'mom' and she like moves, she moves and I'm like 'mom get up, mom' and all she does is move once and I look at her face and I see the blood."

Prosecutors showed evidence of Leslie's tattered t-shirt that was soaked in her blood and covered with bullet holes marked by the medical examiner. Amber also says she'll never forget when she saw Gonzales holding that gun.

"I just look at him and I see his gun and he just walks down the hallway," she said.

Attorneys also presented photos of a .40 caliber Glock pistol they say was covered in Leslie's blood and matched casings that were found in Gonzales' truck. Amber says before the horror of that day was over. she realized her little stepbrother Dominic was nowhere to be found.

"I don't know where Dominic was so I was panicking about him," she said. She says police arrived at the home and asked her to get a picture of him along with some of her mom's belongings.

"They had told me to go back in because they needed a picture of my brother. By that time they had my mom on the floor with a cover and I had to walk over her," Amber said.

Amber says she kept calm long enough to assist officers with what they needed, she says she knew it was vital for getting Dominic back. Investigators were able to safely retrieve Dominic before his father surrendered to fellow officers at his home in Alice.

Testimony will continue Thursday, if Gonzales is found guilty, he could face life in prison.

CORPUS CHRISTI - Testimony continued this morning in the capital murder trial of former Alice Police officer Jose Gonzales III.

Gonzales is accused of murdering Leslie Morin, 31, in December of last year.

The victim's 14-year-old daughter took the stand this morning giving graphic testimony about the day her mother died.

Amber Gamez was calm and collected when she talked about what happened.
"I yelled at him ‘I hate you' and he told me to shut up," said Gamez.

Gamez also described being sent back into the home to retrieve evidence for police saying "I had to walk over my mother's covered body."

This morning Morin's father and a ballistics expert also testified. The ballistics expert answered questions about the defendant's police uniform and the blood that was splattered on it.

Tuesday the victim's mother, Dianna Rodriguez, took the stand to testifying about the horrifying incident that her daughter.

"He pushes her and I just hear my daughter say, no Joey and I just see his hand and I see the gun, where he's shooting her," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez explained to the jury that Leslie had been staying at her parent's home in Annaville because she and Gonzales were having relationship problems.

"I can just see like flashes and that's all I can see and I did hear him say you cheated," Rodriguez said.

Prosecutors say Leslie Morin suffered five gun shot wounds including one to her heart.

After the shooting, Gonzales was involved in a standoff with police at his Alice home, but eventually released his son and surrendered.

If found guilty he could get up to life in prison.

CORPUS CHRISTI -- Testimony is underway in the capital murder trial of a former Alice police officer accused of killing his common-law wife and kidnapping their son.

Jose Gonzales III, is accused of murdering Leslie Morin, 31, in December of last year. The victim's mother, Dianna Rodriguez, took the stand to testifying about the horrifying incident that her daughter.

"He pushes her and I just hear my daughter say, no Joey and I just see his hand and I see the gun, where he's shooting her," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez explained to the jury that Leslie had been staying at her parent's home in Annaville because she and Gonzales were having relationship problems.

"I can just see like flashes and that's all I can see and I did hear him say you cheated," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez says the terror of those moments are trapped in her mind. "I can hear screaming and I can, my attention was just to Leslie."

Rodriguez says Gonzales drove from his home in Alice to theirs. That's when she says he kicked the door open and chased Leslie to the back bedroom with a gun in his hand.

"I throw Leslie in the closet and then the next thing I do, I just, I go in with her and then I see him come in," Rodriguez said.

Painfully she says that's when she heard three gun shots but prosecutors say Leslie in fact suffered five gun shot wounds including one to her heart.

"I never heard my daughter anymore," she said.

Rodriguez says the terror didn't stop there. She managed to get outside of the home to call 911 and that's when she saw Gonzales leaving.

"When he came out the front door he had Dominic in one hand and a gun in the other and my daughter blood all over his white t-shirt," Rodriguez said.

Investigators say Gonzales was involved in a standoff with police at his Alice home but eventually released his son and surrendered. If Gonzales is found guilty he could get up to life in prison.

CORPUS CHRISTI - A former Alice police officer accused of killing his common law wife will go on trial this December. Investigators say Jose Gonzales III burst into Leslie Morin's home in Annaville earlier this year and shot her as she was hiding in a closet. Gonzales allegedly left the home with his 8 year old son and drove to Alice. Gonzales was later involved in a standoff with police at his home in Alice, he eventually released his son and surrendered.

Attorneys for both side are prepared to put the blame for the shooting on an affairs by both Gonzales and Morin. Prosecutors say within two weeks after he was arrested Gonzales made more than a thousand phone calls to a friend named Shauna Garcia. Prosecutors say the evidence will help prove to a jury that Gonzales did not commit a crime of passion. "The phone calls are the best evidence right now of the relationships that he formed immediately," Jenny Dorsey said.

Defense attorney Mark Woerner claims Gonzales was just reaching out to a friend. He argues the phone calls are not relevant and should not be discussed in court. Instead, Woerner plans on presenting evidence from social media sites that Morin was having multiple affairs.

The court will determine what evidence, if any, can be presented to a jury pool ten days before the trial. Gonzales faces up to life in prison if convicted.

CORPUS CHRISTI - The family of a former Alice police officers has been granted visitation rights to his children.

Jose Gonzales III is charged with shooting to death his common law wife, 31-year-old Leslie Morin, at her parent's home in Annaville. The couple had a nine year old son together. Morin also had a 14 year old daughter from a previous relationship. The children have been living with Morin's parents.

For the first time since Leslie Morin's death, family members from Jose Gonzales' side of the family will be allowed to visit Morin's two children. Daniel Gonzales, the brother of the accused killer, and his family have been granted supervised visitation. Morin's mother says the children are very close with Daniel and his family. Daniel says he is very excited to be able to see his niece and nephew again.

Gonzales' 9 year old son was also granted supervised phone calls with his half sister who lives in Maryland.

While family members are excited that visitation rights have been granted to certain family members, Leslie Morin's mother expressed that every time she's back in the courtroom it brings back harsh memories and makes things a little more difficult for her.

A spokesperson for the children says they would like to see their paternal grandparents. But the judge who heard the case denied that request. The ruling was made on the recommendation of the family therapist.

The biological father of Morin's 14-year-old daughter also was in court asking for visitation rights and custody of his daughter. That was denied. As for Jose Gonzales, he's scheduled to go on trial in October for the murder of Leslie Morin. He's charged with capital murder.

CORPUS CHRISTI - A judge set a trial date Thursday to terminate parental rights of the former Alice police officer accused of killing his common law wife.

Jose Gonzales III was not in court at today's hearing, but Judge Martha Huerta set a trial date of June, 15, 2013.

Morin's children a 9-year-old boy and 14-year-old girl have been living with Morin's parents since their mother's murder.