Eric Tonche, a 41-year-old man from Abilene, Texas, was remembered by his family as a kind, caring, and loving person who would "give you the shirt off his back." Raised by his aunt and uncle, who considered him a son, his death left a profound void for his children, girlfriend, and many friends.
On the afternoon of May 10, 2023, Tonche and an associate, Rolando Solis, were in a truck on the 5100 block of Capitol Avenue. According to court testimony, they were approached by Marvin Jones Sr., with whom Solis had previous conflicts. Tonche and Solis exited their vehicle, and a verbal altercation began between Solis and Jones Sr. Tonche was not involved in the dispute and was reportedly leaning against his truck watching when Marvin Jones Jr., then 20, came out of a nearby residence. Jones Jr. fired a handgun in the direction of Tonche and Solis, striking Tonche multiple times.
Emergency responders found Eric Tonche lying in the street with gunshot wounds.
He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy later determined the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, identifying seven separate bullet injuries, five of which were to his back. Witnesses reported seeing Jones Jr. and his father go into a house before Jones Jr. emerged with a child and left the scene in a sedan.
Solis, who had fled during the shooting, identified Marvin Jones Jr. as the gunman. After an initial attempt to evade a traffic stop, Jones Jr. was arrested by Abilene police at 8:20 p.m. that evening near the Mall of Abilene. He was booked into the Taylor County Jail on bonds totaling $605,000.
Marvin Jones Jr. was charged with first-degree felony murder, evading arrest, and endangering a child, as a child was in the car with him when he fled from police. His trial took place in March 2025. After five days of testimony, a jury found him guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison for the murder of Eric Tonche, seven years for evading arrest, and two years for child endangerment, with the sentences to be served concurrently.
