An-Drew Stephen Jones, 26, was convicted today in the 2019 slaying of Nicholas White. He was sentenced to 65 years in prison.
On April 5, 2019, Nicholas White, 22, was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Uptown Square Apartments in San Marcos, Texas, where he lived at the time. Witnesses at the scene before the shooting described a man wearing a yellow shirt and smoking while apparently waiting for someone.
When White arrived home, the shooter approached White while drawing a firearm and saying, “Where’s my money?”
After White replied, “Are you going to shoot me?”, the gunman fired at least eight times at White, fatally injuring him, before jumping into a silver SUV and fleeing the scene.
San Marcos Police detectives responding to the scene recovered spent shell casings and bullets, along with a cigarette butt apparently left behind by the shooter. Surveillance video from the gated entrance to the apartments revealed the suspect’s vehicle was a Nissan Rogue that had entered the parking lot by following a resident through the automated gate. Police learned the car was rented by An-Drew Jones.
Follow-up investigations uncovered evidence that Jones owned a gun of the same caliber as that used in the shooting. Jones’ phone was tracked through electronic records traveling to the Uptown Square Apartments and then leaving immediately after the shooting and returning to his residence.
A search of his residence revealed an empty gun case containing a receipt for a handgun. Police also discovered a holster and clothing that had been thrown in the trash. The holster contained a magazine filled with cartridges of the same make and caliber as those recovered at the crime scene, and the discarded clothing included a yellow shirt with An-Drew Jones’ DNA on it. Jones’ rental car was found in the parking garage of his residence. The victim’s blood was discovered on the car, and the steering wheel and gearshift lever had gunshot residue on them.
The trial, presided over by 428th Judicial District Judge Bill Henry, began July 5 and concluded on July 14, 2022. The jury returned a verdict of guilty of murder. At the sentencing hearing, which concluded today (July 15), Jones took the stand and admitted he had shot and killed Nicholas White, claiming the killing was over money that White owed for drugs purchased from Jones. The jury sentenced An-Drew Jones to 65 years in prison.
Hays County Criminal District Attorney Wes Mau, who led the prosecution with assistance from Assistant Criminal District Attorney Anthony Mendoza, expressed appreciation to the San Marcos Police Department officers and detectives who investigated the case. Mau expressed his sympathies to Nicholas White’s family, who attended the trial.
“This was a senseless act that took the life of a young man who had everything to look forward to,” he said. “Nothing we can do will balance the scales in a case like this, but I hope Nick’s family can move forward knowing that, in the end, justice was done for Nick.”
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