Sheriff: Video Provided by Texas Murder Suspect Undercut Self-Defense Claim

SAN ANTONIO, TX — A 36-year-old woman has been charged with murder after authorities say she shot and killed her boyfriend during an argument early Christmas Eve on San Antonio’s far West Side.

Deputies with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office were called around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday to the 100 block of Mallow Grove for a reported shooting. When they arrived, they found a 42-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest, Sheriff Javier Salazar said during a news conference. The man was pronounced deceased despite lifesaving efforts by paramedics.

The suspect, identified as Courtney Renee Hooper, was taken into custody a short time later and charged with murder. The victim’s name has not been publicly released.

According to investigators, the shooting followed an argument between the couple over a car and a cellphone. Law enforcement officials said Hooper told officers she was acting in self-defense.

Salazar said Hooper later provided investigators with a video she believed would support her claim. However, he said investigators reached the opposite conclusion after reviewing it.

“She felt it would exonerate her,” Salazar said. “But after watching that video, it just seemed like that made her seem even more guilty.”

The sheriff also said deputies have responded to numerous domestic-related calls at the residence in the past, though most of those incidents involved men other than the victim.

Hooper is being held at the Bexar County Jail without bond. Court records show she is scheduled for a hearing on March 24.

Salazar noted that his office typically sees an increase in domestic violence-related incidents and homicides during the holiday season and urged people in volatile situations to seek help before conflicts escalate.