Jury returns guilty verdict for Pflugerville man

MILAM COUNTY, Texas (KBTX) - A Milam County jury returned a guilty verdict in the case against a Pflugerville man accused in a triple shooting in 2021.

After a week-long trial, the jury found Israel Ballester II, 41, guilty of two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but not guilty of murder.

Prosecutors say he shot three men in 2021 during a disturbance near Rockdale. Two of the men survived, but one passed away.

The district attorney, Bill Torrey, said in a press release the case was hard to prosecute because investigators found a second firearm at the scene that belonged to one of the victims. The DA says he doesn’t believe the firearm was pulled out by the victim.

“The jury felt there was at least some reasonable doubt about this fact. We respect the jury’s difficult decision in this case and thank them for their service,” Torrey stated. “While this verdict is not what we had hoped for, it underscores the importance of our work in prosecuting cases to the fullest extent of the law.”

Ballester was taken into custody after the verdict and will be held at the Milam County Jail until his sentencing hearing in May.