The murder trial of Nathan Ryan Iruega has been postponed 30 days after defense attorneys raised concerns about compromised ballistics evidence in the case on Monday before Judge Inna Klein.
Iruega, 23, is charged with shooting and killing a 22-year-old man on Dec. 16, 2020, in the parking lot of a motel on Surfside Boulevard on North Beach. The case is being heard before Judge Inna Klein.
The shooting occurred around 10:15 p.m. following what police described as a fight between a man and another person inside a vehicle.
"Shots were fired from within the vehicle, striking the pedestrian," Lt. Michael Pena of the Corpus Christi Police Department said.
The victim died from his injuries. Iruega, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, turned himself in to the Nueces County Jail two days later and was charged with murder. His bond was set at $1 million.
At the center of the delay are allegations that David Curtis, a firearms expert who analyzed evidence in the case, continued working on cases after being prohibited by the Texas Forensic Science Commission in spring 2025.
Defense attorney Scott Ellison argued that Curtis's alleged unauthorized work on the case constitutes Brady material that must be disclosed to the defense.
The situation has exposed what defense attorneys called a "hot mess" in the Corpus Christi Police Department's ballistics division. Another firearms expert, Carolyn Martinez, is also reportedly under investigation. The issues have forced some ballistics evidence to be sent to the Texas Department of Public Safety lab for analysis.
Judge Klein granted the trial delay to allow prosecutors time to obtain official information about the ongoing investigations. Defense attorneys successfully argued they cannot proceed without knowing the full scope of problems in the ballistics division that analyzed crucial evidence in the case.
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