Road aggression turns into murder, witness becomes arrested suspect after gruesome shooting in Texas – Crime Online

What initially looked like a car accident on a Texas highway later turned out to be the scene of a fatal shooting.

KSAT reports that University of the Incarnate Word nursing student Joseph Banales was found dead in Selma on April 15, 2023. His vehicle had crashed into the concrete median on I-35 near the Forum at around 11:45 p.m.

Emergency responders determined that Banales had been shot in the head. The Bexar County Coroner's Office determined that the gunshot was the cause of death.

On Thursday evening, 29-year-old Jacob Daniel Serna was arrested in connection with Banales' death.

Serna and his then wife were initially questioned as witnesses to the accident.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by KSAT, Banales nearly collided with another car while attempting to move into another lane. The car in question was described as a dark blue or black sports car with “a loud exhaust.”

The affidavit states that the sports car braked next to Banales' passenger side before speeding away at a “high rate of speed.” Shortly after this collision, Banales' car crashed.

After a year-long investigation, law enforcement began to focus more closely on Serna and his wife. According to ABC News, their statements changed over the course of several interviews.

Initially, Serna's wife claimed she saw a blue sports car, similar in color to her blue Ford Mustang, nearly hit Banales and then sped away. Serna initially stated he did not see anything and that his wife witnessed the accident.

On July 23, 2024, Serna and his now-estranged wife were interviewed again. This time, Serna's wife said her husband saw the blue sports car and tried to accelerate to get a better look, but he was driving too fast. Shortly afterward, the accident occurred. Serna continued to claim he saw nothing.

When investigators confronted Serna with his wife's updated statement, he adjusted his story to better match hers, but gave vague answers and left out details he should have known.

Although Serna told authorities that he previously owned a gun that he kept in his glove compartment, he claimed he had since pawned it.

Law enforcement was able to locate Serna's gun by matching his name to pawn shop records.

The August 14, 2024 affidavit stated that Serna's weapon had “similar characteristics to the cartridge recovered during the autopsy,” but further investigation was needed.

On Thursday, Serna's ex-wife was questioned again. This time, she admitted that Serna became angry when Banales almost hit his car. He then loaded his gun, pointed it at Banales and fired. “It just went off and I was scared,” she said in the affidavit.

After the incident, Serna's wife asked him to turn around and see what had happened.

According to KSAT, during the investigation, license plate reader databases “revealed only one vehicle that matched the description of a blue sports car with a loud exhaust” – Serna's car, police said.

On Thursday, Serna was arrested without incident on murder charges and booked into the Bexar County Jail. There was no mention of whether his wife would face charges.

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[Featured image: Joseph Banales/Handout;Jacob Daniel Serna/Bexar County PD]