A Cameron County judge sent a Los Fresnos man to prison on Monday. The sentence is 35 years. Miguel Monrreal, 24, shot and killed a man on a San Benito street last year.
A jury or judge found Monrreal guilty of murder. He was also found guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. That second charge is for using a gun to badly hurt someone. The judge gave him 35 years for the murder. He also got 10 years for the assault. Both terms run at the same time, KRGV says. So the murder term is the one that counts. Monrreal will serve 35 years total.
Texas law says murder can carry 5 to 99 years, or life in prison. Monrreal's 35 years falls in the middle of that range. Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon can carry 2 to 20 years. His 10-year term also falls in the middle.
San Benito is a small town in Cameron County. It sits just west of Harlingen. Killings like this one are rare there. The case shook a close-knit town. It left a family without a son.
The shooting happened on October 3, 2025, around 10:34 p.m. Police say a group of people were hanging out. They were on the 900 block of East Stenger Street. A verbal fight broke out. It turned physical. Then Monrreal pulled out a gun. He opened fire. San Benito Police Chief Mario Perea's department led the investigation, according to KRGV.
Clemente Medina was shot and killed. A woman standing nearby was shot too. She was hurt bad but she lived. She left the hospital later to keep healing at home.
Monrreal ran from the scene on foot. San Benito police started looking for him. The next day, he gave himself up. He walked up to officers at the B&M International Bridge in Brownsville. He did not fight or run.
After his first court hearing, Monrreal talked about what he did. "I'm here to give justice to the family. I'm wrong," he said.
A judge set his bond at $1.5 million while the case moved through court, KRGV says. Monrreal stayed in jail until his trial and sentencing. He was held at the Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center in Brownsville after his arrest, according to Fox RGV.
The Cameron County District Attorney's Office took the case to trial. Almost 10 months passed between the shooting and Monday's sentencing. That wait is normal for a murder case in Texas. Police must gather evidence first. Lawyers on both sides file papers. The court must set hearing dates. All of that takes time before a case ends.
Cameron County is home to San Benito, Harlingen, Brownsville, and Los Fresnos. Monrreal is from Los Fresnos. For neighbors on East Stenger Street, this shooting is not just a headline. It happened right outside their homes. A night with friends turned into a deadly fight. One man never made it back home.
The case is now closed at the trial court level. Monrreal has been sentenced on both charges. There is no public word yet on whether he plans to appeal.
Medina's family waited almost a year for this day. For them, the 35-year term closes one hard chapter. The woman who survived the shooting still carries the weight of that night. She carries it in her body and in her mind.
San Benito police have not named any other suspects tied to the shooting. Investigators have also not said whether the gun used in the shooting was ever found, according to Fox RGV. The case is a hard reminder. A simple fight can turn deadly fast once a gun gets involved.
