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Testimony, evidence and late disclosures mark trial of Felipe Reyes on fentanyl and methamphetamine charges
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Summary
In a multi-day trial in Bexar County, prosecutors presented lab results and body‑worn video while the defense argued evidence and jail‑call disclosures arrived too late; jurors began deliberations after closing arguments and a court charge.
SAN ANTONIO — Prosecutors and defense attorneys sparred over evidence and witness credibility on the final day of the trial of Felipe Reyes, who is charged in two cause numbers with possession and possession with intent to deliver fentanyl and methamphetamine. Testimony, lab reports and video entered into evidence were the central focus of cross‑examination and closing arguments; a defense motion to delay or mistrial over the late disclosure of weekend jail calls was denied before the jury began deliberations.
In court, the state relied on physical evidence recovered from a backpack and lab testing the prosecution said showed fentanyl and methamphetamine in the charged amounts. Detective testimony described how officers found the backpack, engaged with people at the scene and took statements. Detective Matthew Robles testified about investigative steps and said officers sometimes muted body‑worn cameras “for the protection of that source, and also, for tactics” when speaking about confidential matters.
The defense emphasized gaps and inconsistencies in the investigative record and witness recollections, and pressed that Reyes’s statements to police were taken when he was disoriented after a vehicle crash and without a full understanding of what he was signing. Defense counsel repeatedly urged the jury to view the voluntary acknowledgment form and an officer’s role in drafting parts of it with caution, saying the document’s content was influenced by investigators.
Prosecutors pointed jurors to the physical evidence and lab work. In closing, the state referred to the lab analyst’s testimony and the aggregate weights the lab reported for the seized substances, and told jurors those findings supported guilt for possession and, in the larger amounts, possession with intent to deliver.
During testimony, the defense called Joshua Luis Rodriguez, a videographer who said Reyes works as a videographer and that Reyes’s Instagram page is “Trapvision” (recognized in evidence as state’s exhibit 19). Rodriguez testified Reyes took cameras and other equipment with him when he left Houston to travel to San Antonio on Oct. 27, 2024. Rodriguez said he did not associate the abbreviations on Reyes’s Instagram with narcotics.
Detective Robles, a narcotics detective, described interviewing multiple people at the scene and explaining the department’s policy permitting the muting of body‑worn cameras when discussing sources or tactics. Robles testified he asked Reyes to complete a voluntary acknowledgment of contraband form; Robles told the court he believed the defendant was being candid and that investigators sometimes use such forms to document cooperation when a person offers to provide information.
Reyes took the stand in his own defense and said he came to San Antonio to shoot photos and video, that he did not know the contents of the bag placed in the vehicle by a female passenger, and that he was scared and confused after the crash. On cross‑examination prosecutors read excerpts from the body‑worn video showing Reyes answering officers and, at times, writing items on the acknowledgment form. In the courtroom audio played for jurors Reyes acknowledged the presence of items but contested having knowledge of or intent to distribute narcotics.
A defense motion raised the weekend jail calls that the state uploaded to discovery the same morning the jury was in court; counsel argued the timing left insufficient opportunity to evaluate whether the calls should affect witness strategy and whether they contained impeachment material. The court denied the motion for mistrial and allowed the trial to proceed; the judge said the defense would have opportunity to review the material during a recess and to raise specific objections in redirect if needed.
After closing arguments, the court gave the jury the charge of law that explains the elements of possession and possession with intent to deliver. The charge also told jurors how to treat statements alleged to be involuntary and instructed them that they must find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The jury retired to deliberate.
No verdict was announced in open court at the close of evidence and argument. The record shows the next steps were jury deliberation and a return of verdicts when the jury reaches them.
The trial record includes multiple exhibits introduced into evidence, body‑worn camera footage and jail‑call audio the defense sought additional time to review. Authorities and defense argued at length about how officers documented the stop, who had custody or control of the backpack, and whether statements and the form signed by Reyes were voluntary and reliable in context.
The case remains pending; court minutes show further procedural matters, including motions and scheduling, were handled in the judge’s calendar before and after the trial day recorded here.
