By Emilie Eaton and Melissa Fletcher-Stoeltje
Marisela Cadena was terrified. The boyfriend who claimed to love her had beaten her time and again.
She had called San Antonio police, but the experience hadn’t inspired confidence in the justice system. After one attack, it took four months for prosecutors to file a misdemeanor assault charge against Andrew Munoz.
Ten more months went by before police arrested him, and by then he had assaulted her once more, punching her in the head and stomach.
Despite his lengthy criminal record, Munoz was released from jail the next day on a $3,500 bond.
When Cadena blocked his calls, he turned more violent. He kidnapped her at gunpoint and forced her to drive to a remote ranch in southern Bexar County. On the way, he fired a gun through the roof of the car, leaving no doubt he was serious about his threats to kill her and her family.
Cadena, then 43, grew desperate. She tried to hide. She had moved out of her home on the far East Side and was getting ready to move again. She switched cars with one of her daughters. She applied for a protective order.
But Munoz knew where to find her: at the Subway restaurant on South Roosevelt and Loop 410, where she had worked her way up to manager.
Read more at ExpressNews.com.