A San Antonio man is on trial for murder. He is accused of killing a 26-year-old new mom. The case started Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Bexar County.
Yulissa Cristal Valero was a passenger on Interstate 35. A wrong-way driver hit her car head-on in the early morning hours of January 13, 2024. The crash was near West Cesar Chavez Boulevard on I-35 South in San Antonio.
Yulissa left behind a young son.
Prosecutors say Christopher Rey Navarro was driving the wrong way on I-35 that night. He was 25 at the time. Police had stopped him before the crash. He drove off. Then he hit the car Yulissa was riding in, head-on.
At the hospital, Navarro told officers he had been eating and drinking with a co-worker.
Others in the car were also hurt.
Navarro faces a murder charge. If a jury finds him guilty, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Yulissa's sister, Natalie Garza, has been to every hearing since the crash. She sat in court again this week.
"As much as you want to have a good day, it's always a reminder in the back of your head that she's not here anymore," Natalie said. "I hope she gets the justice she deserves."
Natalie has watched this case for more than two years. She has not missed a single step.
Yulissa had just become a mom before she died. Her son is growing up without her.
A Texas law from 2023 could matter here. The law says convicted drunk drivers must pay child support. It applies when a drunk driver kills the parent of a young child.
The Bexar County D.A.'s office said it cannot comment on future results in the case.
The trial is set to run all week. The jury will decide if Navarro is guilty of murder.
For Natalie, no verdict brings her sister back. But she keeps showing up. Every hearing is one step closer to answers for Yulissa and for the little boy she left behind.
