Josefina Sanchez sat in a courtroom this month. She told a jury about the last time she saw her husband alive. "He gave me a kiss and told me how nice I looked," she said. "That's just how he was with me."

Robert Wise told her he would be home in 15 minutes. He never made it. A man from the lodge called her instead. "Please come back," he told her. "Something tragic has happened." Doctors at the hospital later told her the news. Her husband was dead.

Sanchez spoke first in the trial of Julio Diaz. He is accused of killing Wise outside the McAllen Masonic Lodge in July 2023. The case has been big news in the Rio Grande Valley for three years. This month, a jury heard the widow tell her story for the first time.

Wise was 55 years old. He belonged to McAllen Lodge No. 1110. The lodge sits on North 11th Street in McAllen. The state says Diaz drove around the lodge before the shooting. They say he was checking the building out. McAllen police detective Joel Villegas agreed with that idea. He said it looked like Diaz was watching the lodge. "Most definitely yes," Villegas said in court.

The state says Diaz walked up to Wise outside the lodge. They say he shot him in the face several times. They say he filmed it on his phone. They say he posted that video online. A doctor who studies deaths later took the stand. He said Wise died from a gunshot to the neck.

The state called 19 people to speak on day one alone. More people spoke in the days after. A gun expert from Texas took the stand. So did the lead detective on the case. He said tips led police to Diaz. Police also looked through Diaz's phone. They found notes about Freemasons and the Illuminati. In one recorded call, Diaz spoke with a constable. "Everything I do against the Freemasons and the Illuminati, I posted online," he said. He also claimed Freemasons "drain energy spiritually." The state pointed to those words as a reason for the killing.

Diaz did not face just one charge. He also faced two arson charges. One was for a 2022 fire at the McAllen lodge. The other was for a 2023 fire at a Masonic lodge in Weslaco. Police say both fires happened before the shooting.

The McAllen lodge sits close to downtown. Freemasons have met in McAllen for many years. People who live near the lodge have followed this case closely. Many still wonder why someone would target the group.

The trial moved fast once it started. After less than a week of testimony, the jury talked for about 30 minutes. Then they found Diaz guilty on all three charges. That means guilty of murder. It also means guilty on both arson counts. El Tejano first reported that guilty verdict on August 7.

Diaz chose to let a judge decide his punishment. He did not want the jury to pick his sentence. That hearing is set for September 21. Diaz could get five to 99 years in prison.

Diaz's lawyer is Lennard K. Whittaker. He spoke after the verdict came in. He said jurors saw signs that something was wrong with Diaz. But no expert explained those signs at trial. "Those delusions were put in place in full view before that jury," Whittaker said. "Unfortunately, we had no expert because he hadn't completed his work."

For Sanchez, the trial gave her a chance to speak up. She told the court about the man she lost. She told them about the call that changed her life. Her words are now part of the court record. The case ended in a conviction in less than a week. What comes next is the sentencing hearing.

El Tejano first reported the guilty verdict in this case on August 7. Read that story here: https://www.eltejanorgv.com/jury-finds-alamo-man-guilty-in-mcallen-masonic-lodge-murder/