Judge denies last-minute continuance, orders fingerprints as James Ross trial begins in Bexar County

SAN ANTONIO — Judge Stephanie Boyd of the 187th District Court denied a last-minute request for a continuance and ordered fingerprinting Tuesday as the trial of James Ross moved forward on multiple felony counts.

The court read a true bill from a grand jury that charges Ross with aggravated robbery, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, alleging the incidents occurred on or about June 1, 2025. The indictment includes a prior conviction and a cause number (0966641D) tied to a 2007 judgment and sentence.

In a brief pretrial exchange, the defendant — who is representing himself — asked for one to three days to prepare and said he had not received discovery or had access to notarization and copying. Prosecutors opposed the request as untimely. "It is not timely," the prosecutor told the court, citing filing deadlines under the code of criminal procedure. Judge Boyd denied the continuance and confirmed the jury trial would proceed.

The court also granted the state's written motion to have the defendant fingerprinted; the prosecution said its fingerprint examiner was present and the court ordered the fingerprints to be taken immediately. Bexar County Sheriff's Office fingerprint examiner Ryan Meyer later testified that he had taken the defendant's prints; when asked whether the prints he took matched prints in the state's exhibit, Meyer said he was "unsure."

During opening statements, the prosecutor told jurors the evidence would show a man entered a shop, displayed a firearm and demanded money. "We will prove to you with evidence, with documents and with testimony that the defendant committed this crime against three people," the prosecutor said. The defendant, representing himself, told jurors there was no robbery and no weapon and said he has been kept "in the dark" about discovery.

The state called multiple witnesses. SAPD custodian-of-records Lasonya Robinson authenticated three 911 recordings tied to SAPD incident report SAPD22150167 and said the calls were recorded in real time. The court overruled a defense objection to late disclosure and admitted the recordings over that objection.

The prosecution also called the owner of JC's Alterations, Janice Jones, who testified she hired Ross to help move and pack, that the agreement paid $50 a day with payment on completion, and that on June 1 she said Ross returned with a small silver firearm, waved it at three people and "shoved the gun up under my throat and said to me that he would kill me if I did not pay him." Jones identified a series of post-incident text messages in which the defendant requested payment and asked her to call off the police.

On cross-examination the defense probed timing and memory — including whether Jones had paid Ross after the police were called — and whether she had provided him food or small items while he worked. Jones said she paid all workers when the job was completed on Tuesday, June 4, 2025, and that she felt threatened when the gun was placed at her throat.

The state also sought to limit defense questioning about witnesses' criminal histories; Judge Boyd instructed counsel that any such questioning should be approached to the bench before it is asked so the court could rule on admissibility.

The court recessed for the day and scheduled the trial to resume Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. Judge Boyd instructed jurors and parties that "everything that you need to know about this case is to come from inside this courtroom and nowhere else."