On Thursday, a District Judge sentenced known gang member and repeat offender 28-year-old Dante Larenz Stevens, of Garwood, to life in prison for the murder of US Marine Jonathon Segura. The home invasion ambush occurred September 10, 2021, at 3:45 a.m. and was believed to be in retaliation for another shooting, an hour-and-a-half earlier. However, investigators say Jonathon wasn’t the intended target. Stevens mistook Jonathon for his brother when he fired the four deadly shots.
Jonathon Cain Segura was sleeping on the couch in the living room of his family home so his mom and younger siblings would feel safe, following a break-in at a nearby family member’s home. When Jonathon was shot, his mom was in a back bedroom, along with his 7 and 9-year-old sisters. Believing his mission was accomplished, the gunman fled.
The victim’s brother was initially reluctant to provide information regarding the gunman’s identity, but once the Texas Rangers became involved, he cooperated. Ranger Derek Leitner, who served the Montgomery County area for years with Texas Department of Public Safety, played a large role in securing the conviction.
Another name Montgomery County residents will recognize was part of the prosecution team. San Jacinto County First Assistant District Attorney Rob Freyer, a former Montgomery County ADA, heard about the upcoming case and volunteered his considerable skills. Freyer said the Colorado County District Attorney Jay Johannes was in the difficult position of advocating for Dante Stevens’s family in the case believed to be the impetus for his shooting Segura, in addition to advocating for the Segura family in the case against Stevens. San Jacinto County District Attorney Todd Dillon generously allowed Freyer to contribute his well-known prosecutorial skills, which resonate with judges and juries.
The capital murder trial was heard in the 25th District Court Judge Jessica Richard Crawford, where Stevens’s defense team failed to persuade jurors of his innocence. They deliberated just two hours before returning a guilty verdict.
Prosecutor Rob Freyer praised jurors for their efforts in reaching the correct finding in what he called “a very highly charged and emotional case.”
“This jury’s rather quick verdict, after four days of hard-fought testimony is a testament to a message that has been sent that juries in this county do not tolerate this,” Freyer said. “If anybody contemplates doing anything as violent, callous, and stupid as this in this great place, there will be hell to pay for it. They will be held accountable.”
