Donnell Sterling was shot in the head inside his own apartment. He died on October 4, 2024. Almost two years later, his family is finally getting a trial.

Sterling was 52 years old. He lived at Victoria Plaza. That is an apartment complex in downtown San Antonio. Older and disabled people live there. It sits near the Tower of the Americas.

This trial matters far beyond one family. Violent crime cases can drag on for years. They take a long time to reach a courtroom. Sterling's case shows how long that wait can feel. Families across South Texas know that wait too well. Courts are often backed up. Cases stack up on the docket. That means grieving families wait months, or even years, just to see a trial start.

Police arrested Daniel Gonzalez four days after Sterling died. Gonzalez was 35 years old at the time. Cops say Gonzalez knew Sterling. He told police he used to visit Sterling's apartment. He said he did not kill him.

Investigators do not believe that. They say security cameras caught Gonzalez getting off the elevator. He was on Sterling's floor. That happened just days before Sterling was found dead.

Cops also tested shell casings found at the scene. Shell casings are the empty metal cases a bullet leaves behind. They say the casings match a gun. That gun is tied to Gonzalez.

Gonzalez already had a felony on his record. A felony is a serious crime. That means the law did not let him own a gun. Cops charged him with that too. It's called unlawful possession of a firearm. That means having a gun when the law says you can't.

Gonzalez is now on trial for murder. If a jury finds him guilty, he could go to prison for life. Right now he is only charged. He has not been convicted. Under the law, he stays innocent. He stays innocent until a jury says otherwise.

Police also looked at a second death at Victoria Plaza. A man named Nick Martinez died there too. He was 59 years old. He was found dead just days before Sterling. Martinez died from a stab wound. Cops say Gonzalez may be tied to that death too. It is not clear if he faces charges in that case.

The two deaths happened days apart. They happened in the same building. That scared the people who live there. Victoria Plaza is home to older people. It is also home to people with disabilities. Neighbors there lean on each other for safety. A place meant to feel safe suddenly did not feel safe at all. Residents were left asking how two people could die there in one short week.

Jury selection wrapped up this week. Testimony in the murder trial starts Monday. It will happen in Bexar County.

Sterling's sister is Bridget Sterling. She has waited a long time for this day. "Losing my brother, my only sibling, is indescribable," she said.

She knows what justice looks like to her. "Justice for my family would be that Mr. Daniel Gonzalez stay behind bars and serve the rest of his life," she said.

The trial is expected to last several days. Jurors will hear testimony. Then they will decide. They will decide if Gonzalez is guilty. Or they will decide he is not guilty.

Prosecutors will lay out the evidence first. That includes the video and the shell casings. Gonzalez's lawyers will get a chance to fight back. They can question the evidence and call their own witnesses.

For Bridget Sterling, the trial is the next step in a long wait. Her brother's death changed her life two years ago. Now she will sit in a Bexar County courtroom and watch the case unfold.