A 19-year-old will spend the next 30 years in prison after pleading guilty in connection with a fatal March 2023 shooting in Cameron Park.

Juan Alvarez learned his fate Wednesday after a Cameron County jury sentenced him.

Investigators said Alvarez fatally shot 21-year-old Andrew Lee Torres, who was found dead in a vehicle that crashed after he was shot.

Torres’ family was in the courtroom, holding each other tight and crying as they learned the fate of the man who pleaded guilty to Andrew’s death.

“It's a shame that his life was taken away in this manner," Torres’ uncle, Juan, said. “Now we have a pain — the whole family has a pain that we're going to carry for the rest of our life."

Juan said his nephew was a kind-hearted young man who wanted to get into law enforcement.

“He had a lot going for him as a young boy,” Juan said.

The young age of both the victim and convicted murderer raises concerns for Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz. 

Saenz said he’s seen a recent trend of certifying young suspects as adults to go to trial.  

“As this case is being held, they just arrested another juvenile last night,” Saenz said. “We just certified another one last week, we're moving to certify another one next week."

Saenz said he feels he's doing his part, but parents, law enforcement officers, and schools need to come together to help address and recognize the problem of young adult involved in crimes.

“It keeps happening, and to be honest with you, I don't see it stopping,” Saenz said. “We all need to come together. The schools, law enforcement, parents, organizations — because it is a problem that needs to be addressed, but we need to recognize it."

For now, the Torres family said they will continue to honor Andrew and his smile

“He would come in with a big smile on his face, and he would help you,” Juan said. “The smile showed the kind of character, the kind of person that he was."

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