Crime victims weigh in on Travis County District Attorney race, ahead of election day
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Families and victims of crime gathered to share their stories and frustrations with the Travis County District Attorney, just hours before his name appears on the ballot in the March primary election.
Incumbent José Garza faces a Democratic challenger named Jeremy Sylestine, who is a former prosecutor in the office.
Several families of victims called on Travis County to vote for a change in the office, while others focused on their concerns with how their cases played out. Some emphasized their shock at what they considered lenient sentences or plea deals for the defendants in their cases.
Courtney Pore, a domestic violence victim, said she felt that Garza acted as “more of a defense attorney for my abuser than like a D.A. advocating for me.” Rosalia Jaramillo, whose son Eduardo Jesus Jaramillo was shot and killed in 2021, said she did not feel justice was served in her son’s case either.
Others were concerned with a lack of communication from the office — such as assault victim Lauren Klinefelter, who said she found out from someone else that the person accused in her case had been let out of jail with an ankle monitor. Conny Branham, whose son Christopher was killed in 2020, echoed similar concerns.
“We had no say in anything,” Branham said. “We don’t matter to him.”
Garza addressed questions about violent crime victims in a press conference earlier in the day, saying, “Our heart breaks for them and for their loss, and we work hard every single day with law enforcement to win justice for those families.”
Garza said he is proud of his office’s trial record and also noted that more than 90% of criminal cases across the country result in negotiated plea bargains or plea deals.
Later on Monday, his office also announced it had obtained convictions in two separate jury trials in the last week in family violence homicide cases. His campaign also announced several endorsements from leaders of local and national gun violence prevention groups, including Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action.
“Every victim of crime deserves empathy and deserves our support. The fact of the matter is that the stories that my opponent’s campaign have been spreading are false,” he said.
Garza pointed to a slew of mailers and TV advertisements released by an entity called Saving Austin, targeting his record. His campaign previously sent a cease and desist letter to the group, claiming it has broken Texas election laws.
Sylestine, in response to Garza’s claims, said, “If other people are interested in critiquing or criticizing the Garza campaign, I have no control over that and would never try to influence what someone else is saying.”
He added that he believes his message and promise to prosecute crime more aggressively than the incumbent is resonating with voters across party lines — including with victims of crime.
“There are real survivors and victims of abuse out there, and they have chosen to come forward and make their stories known through our campaign. There is nothing hateful about that — it’s just the truth,” Sylestine said.
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