Man Gets 99 Years for Killing Over Song

Man Gets 99 Years for Killing Over Song
March 10, 2001

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas man was sentenced to 99 years in
prison for killing a musician who did not know the song he requested, a
prosecutor says.

Ramon Cabrera, 48, became angry with David Saenz, 57, because Saenz could
not play "El Guajolote," or "The Turkey," so he shot him in the head with a
.38 caliber pistol, Assistant Nueces County District Attorney Mark Skurka
told Reuters on Friday.

"As a prosecutor, I've seen a lot of senseless killings, but this one --
there's just no way" to explain it, he said.

Saenz was a local character who often played the guitar and accordion and
sang for his neighbors, Skurka said. Cabrera lived across the street and the
two men were considered friends, he said.

Witnesses said both men had been drinking beer when Cabrera insisted that
Saenz play "El Guajolote," but Saenz insisted he did not know it. They
argued briefly and Cabrera went home, only to return a few minutes later
with gun in hand.

"He told people to move out of the way, then drilled him with the .38 right
in the forehead," Skurka said.

Saenz died on the scene with the guitar and accordion at his feet.

Cabrera testified he was not drunk when he shot Saenz, but had no memory of
the murder. He was sentenced by a jury on Thursday and, under Texas law,
will be eligible for parole in 30 years.

Man Gets 99 Years for Killing Over Song
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