A jury in Denton County must make a hard choice. Did a 25-year-old man kill his great-aunt to save his own life? Or did he murder the woman who raised him like a son? Adrian Joe Padilla is on trial now. He is charged with capital murder. He is accused of stabbing his great-aunt, Mary Inez Jacinto, 71, to death. It happened inside the home they shared in Aubrey, a small town north of Dallas.

The case comes down to one house on Canyon Oak Street. Something happened there on the night of October 27, 2023. Padilla says his great-aunt grabbed a knife first. He says he fought back to stay alive. Prosecutors say the proof tells a different story. Closing arguments wrapped up this week. The jury could reach a verdict soon.

Jacinto raised Padilla from the time he was a baby. She worked for 30 years as a bilingual teacher's aide for Dallas ISD. She helped kids learn to read and write. Court testimony showed she was taking medicine for Alzheimer's disease when she died. That is a disease that harms memory.

Police say Padilla and Jacinto got into a fight around 8 p.m. that night. Jacinto wanted him to move out of her house. Padilla had quit his job at Walmart three or four months before. He was not working at the time.

Padilla told police he acted in self-defense. "I have self-defense," he said. He told detectives his great-aunt poked him in the stomach with a knife first. He said he punched her. He said he grabbed the knife away from her. Then he said he stabbed her with it.

The medical examiner, Mark Shelly, told the jury a different story. He said Jacinto had three stab wounds to her stomach. She had a deep cut on her head. She had at least six cuts on her feet. Police said Padilla had no cuts or bruises when they arrested him. Not one mark.

Detective Jake Kennedy also testified. He said parts of Padilla's story did not add up. Padilla told police he took a 20-minute nap. This happened between attacking Jacinto the first time and attacking her again. Kennedy told the jury that detail did not make sense to him.

Family members tried to call Jacinto for hours. She did not answer. They asked police to check on her at her home. Officers went to the house and found her body in the backyard. It was wrapped in blankets. It was buried under fresh dirt. Police also found blood in the garage. They found more blood inside a vehicle at the home.

Investigators say Padilla used Jacinto's bank card after she died. He spent about 700 dollars with her card.

Padilla said other things that stood out in his police interview. He called his great-aunt "kind of delusional." He said he was "just trying to be smart." He said he "probably" would have called 911 "to be practical." He also told detectives, "I love it here. People love me around here. I'm cool with the locals."

Capital murder is the most serious charge in Texas. It can mean the death penalty. It can also mean life in prison with no chance to ever get out. Prosecutors in this case are not asking for the death penalty. If the jury finds Padilla guilty, he would get life in prison instead.

Padilla has sat in the Denton County Jail since his arrest on October 28, 2023. That is the day after police found Jacinto's body. He also faces a second charge. It is called tampering with evidence. That means police say he tried to hide or mess with proof of the crime.

Prosecutor Michael Graves is leading the case for the state. Defense lawyers Derek Adame and Rebecca Lively are representing Padilla. Closing arguments were set to finish this past Thursday. After that, the case went to the jury to decide.

The jury must now answer one question. Did Padilla act in self-defense, or did he commit murder? A verdict could come down at any time.