Former Texas Sports News Anchor Accused of Murder After Shooting a Family Member

A stock image of police tape.
Getty Stock Images

Former San Antonio sports anchor Johnathan Solarte, 37, faces a murder charge after an argument turned into a physical altercation.

A man arrested in Texas and charged with murder after a fatal shooting was a former San Antonio sports anchor.

Johnathan Solarte, 37, allegedly shot a family member after an argument turned into a physical altercation on July 3, according to My San Antonio.

The 35-year-old gunshot victim was transported to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead, My San Antonio reported. 

According to an arrest report obtained by KRIS 6, when officials arrived on the scene, Solarte waved them over and told them that there was someone in the home that needed help, then told police that he was the one that shot the dead man, Ricardo Escobar Cardona.

Cardona was fatally shot in the chest in what Solarte told police was an attempt at defending himself after Cardona barged into his home and began threatening him, the arrest report stated. 

Witnesses on the scene said that Cardona was let into the house and that the two men were talking before the argument broke. As one witness tried to break up the fight, another heard a gunshot and saw Cardona fall, KRIS 6 reported.

Solarte was arrested and charged with murder but has been released from Nueces County Jail on a $300,000 bond, according to My San Antonio.

This was not the first time the former Univision sports anchor has been arrested, according to KSAT 12. Solarte was arrested in 2017 after allegedly evading arrest during a traffic stop but his case was later dismissed and he was not charged for the incident, the news site said. 

Related Stories