‘Classic case of self-defense’: At Tarrant County murder trial, jury finds man not guilty
A jury in a murder trial in Tarrant County on Monday acquitted a man who stabbed a friend who had lunged at the defendant outside of a house in south Fort Worth.
Juan Ramos Escamilla in January 2023 intervened in an altercation among Augustine Pineda and several women, including Ramos Escamilla’s wife, according to the defendant’s defense attorneys.
Ramos Escamilla was acting to protect himself and his wife when he stabbed Pineda once in the abdomen with a pocketknife, the defense argued.
Ramos Escamilla, who is 43, testified at the trial. During a gathering at the defendant’s home in the 4500 block of Merida Avenue, Pineda became increasingly drunk, aggressive and violent, Ramos Escamilla told the jury.
“This case is a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly chaos can escalate into tragedy,” defense attorney Kara Carreras wrote in a statement distributed to the press. “Juan was forced to defend himself, his wife and her friends in a moment of fear and confusion during an argument with his friend.”
Carreras was, with Christy Jack and Audrey Hatcher, appointed to represent Ramos Escamilla.
Tarrant County Assistant District Attorneys Hilary Wright and Kim Barragon prosecuted the case.
Beyond murder, the jury in Criminal District Court No. 3 was instructed by a visiting judge, Justice Lee Gabriel, to consider, at the request of the defense, the lesser offenses of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.
Justice Gabriel included in jury instructions an advisory that voluntary intoxication does not justify an offense. The instruction suggests there was trial evidence that Ramos Escamilla was also drunk at the time of the stabbing.
The jury deliberated for about three hours before finding Ramos Escamilla not guilty.
“Everyone has the right to defend themselves and those they love,” Jack wrote in the defense attorneys’ statement. “This was a classic case of self-defense and I’m grateful the jury agreed.”
This story was originally published February 4, 2025 at 11:08 AM.
