On October 4, 2024, officers at the Victoria Plaza Apartments in the 400 block of Barrera Street found the body of 52-year-old Donnell Donnie Jomar Sterling after residents reported a foul odor coming from his unit. The Bexar County Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide from a gunshot wound to the head. Sterling, a father of four who worked as a cook at Good Time Charlie’s, had last been heard from by family on September 26; his mother had been trying to reach him since September 29. Neighbors said they noticed a bad smell earlier in the week before the discovery.

The killing came days after another resident, 59-year-old Nick Martinez, was found dead in his apartment on October 1; Martinez’s death was ruled a homicide from sharp force injuries. The close timing and proximity of the two deaths alarmed residents and authorities. San Antonio police identified 35-year-old Daniel Gonzalez as a suspect in Sterling’s murder. Gonzalez, a convicted felon, was arrested after detectives found him with a handgun; shell casings from Sterling’s scene matched that weapon and surveillance placed Gonzalez at the complex on the date of the killing. Gonzalez was charged with Sterling’s murder while in custody, and investigators continue to examine any connection to Martinez’s death.

Does anyone who lived at Victoria Plaza or knew Donnell Sterling have information that could help investigators?