by | Published
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - A Bexar County jury has convicted Shandrick Van Anthony Buckley of capital murder for the 2019 beating death of his cellmate, Alexander Wise, resulting in an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Jurors returned the guilty verdict Sept. 15 after several hours of deliberations.
Buckley was being held on a murder charge in May 2019 when he was placed in a cell with Wise at the Bexar County Jail.
Wise, who was believed to have been a former member of the Aryan Brotherhood gang, had been jailed on charges including fraudulent use of identification, credit card abuse, theft and possession of a controlled substance.
According to authorities, Buckley violently attacked Wise inside their shared cell, stomping him and inflicting severe injuries to his face.
Deputies conducting a routine cell check noticed blood seeping from underneath the cell door. When they entered, they found Wise unresponsive on the floor. He died from his injuries.
Questions about the inmates' housing arrangement emerged after Wise's death. His mother questioned why her son had been placed in the same cell as a man already accused of murder.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said in 2019 that Wise had been moved into Buckley's cell after Wise was involved in a violent disturbance with other inmates earlier that day.
Buckley also had assaulted a deputy several days before Wise's death, Salazar said.
Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Raul Jordan, Cassandra Rosales and Nick Mahrou prosecuted the case, with assistance from Victim Advocate Brandy Jimenez and investigator Jorge Felan.
Because Buckley was convicted of capital murder, the verdict resulted in a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
