Anthony Rodriguez, who the state called as its first witness, testified on Nov. 5 in 187th District Court that his wife, Shelby Jean Rodriguez, grabbed a kitchen knife and later a handgun during a fight at the couple's home in San Antonio and threatened to kill him. The testimony came in the family-violence case State of Texas v. Shelby Jean Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, who identified himself as a software engineer for Precisely, told jurors he returned from a Cub Scouts camping trip with his children on Nov. 5, 2023, and that an argument with his wife escalated. He said his wife struck him repeatedly with her fists and then grabbed a kitchen knife from a drawer. "She held the knife in a downward motion and threatened me," Rodriguez testified. He said she then retrieved a 9mm handgun from a cabinet above the refrigerator and "pointed it at my head and said I could ******* kill you right now." Rodriguez said the incident left him fearing he would be killed: "I thought I was gonna die." (Testimony transcript, Nov. 5, 2023.)

Rodriguez described other physical confrontations that afternoon: he said Shelby swung a broom at him and that he sustained bruises and cuts blocking blows. He testified that their three daughters, ages 8 and two 6-year-old twins, were in the house and at times were going in and out of the home. After he left the house and waited nearby, he said he received a call from police and then met officers at a neighborhood park. He gave a statement to responding officers and later accompanied police back to the house to identify evidence, he said.

Officer Jordan Hernandez of the San Antonio Police Department testified that he responded to a 911 call reporting a disturbance involving a gun on Nov. 5, 2023. Hernandez said he located Anthony Rodriguez at a nearby park, took a statement and then returned to the residence, where detectives and crime-scene personnel photographed the scene and collected evidence. Detective Justin Carrion of the Special Victims Unit later told the court he reviewed the officers' reports and decided there was "enough probable cause to make the arrest," Carrion said, and submitted the case to prosecutors.

The state introduced photographs and physical evidence during the testimony, including a photo of a purple Cuisinart kitchen knife recovered from an island drawer and photos of a 9mm Kimber-style pistol the witness identified as the handgun he said Shelby pointed at him. The court admitted several exhibits over defense and prosecution objections; the admitted lists include State's Exhibits 35 and 38–45 and defense exhibits entered during the trial.

The defense did question Rodriguez on cross-examination about the timing of events, his description of the children's locations during the episodes, and other details. Rodriguez said he did not call 911 from the house because he feared that calling police would further escalate the situation or that Shelby would accuse him of having hit her.

The testimony ended when the defense indicated it would pass the witness. Prosecutors then rested their direct examination; the case proceeded with additional witnesses and the defendant's testimony later that day.

The court's record shows the case number as SAPD23248892 and that detectives photographed injuries and the kitchen area referenced in testimony. The jury was excused for a break after the state's witness testimony and the day's evidence presentation continued with other witnesses.

Evidence and procedural rulings from the day's hearing will shape the prosecutors' presentation at later stages of the trial.