A San Antonio man will spend 45 years in prison for killing his former tenant. Peter Balraj was convicted of murder. A judge sentenced him Tuesday in the 290th District Court in Bexar County.
The victim was Christopher Vargas, 32. He was found dead at his home in the 3200 block of Nantucket Drive on the north side of San Antonio.
Here is what happened in December 2022. Balraj had rented a place to Vargas. Vargas owed back rent and had not left. Balraj wanted him out.
So Balraj made a plan. He got his daughter's boyfriend, Joshua Walls, to help. He also got Walls' roommate, Adrian Gomez. The three of them went to Vargas' home to scare him and force him to pay or leave.
Things went wrong. During the showdown, Gomez pulled out a gun and shot Vargas. Vargas died.
Balraj was not the one who pulled the trigger. But he planned the whole thing. He put it in motion. That is enough for a murder conviction in Texas.
The jury also found Balraj guilty of two counts of aggravated assault and one count of tampering with evidence. The 45-year sentence is for the murder charge.
Gomez and Walls were sentenced earlier this year for their roles in the killing. The Bexar County District Attorney's Office announced Balraj's sentence on Tuesday.
This case is a reminder. When someone uses another person to commit a crime, the law still holds the planner responsible. Balraj sent three men to that house to confront Vargas. One of them brought a gun. A man is dead. Now Balraj is going to prison for 45 years.
