The death penalty trial, which was expected to begin this week, ended with the dismissal of the case

SAN ANTONIO – A man accused of double murder and arson to cover up the crime had capital murder charges dismissed Tuesday morning.

The jury was expected to be selected at the trial Juan Antonio Reyes but the case was dismissed by the District Attorney’s Office due to lack of evidence, according to online court records.

Reyes and co-defendant John Bishop Torres are accused of fatally shooting two of Reyes’ relatives and setting their home on fire in 2022.

The victims, Sergio Soto, 39, and his aunt, Rachel Martinez, 51, were found by firefighters after they put out the fire.

Both victims were shot in the head, according to the arrest affidavit.

Investigators used surveillance footage to identify Reyes and Torres as suspects. The video reportedly shows the two leaving the home shortly after it was set on fire, according to court documents.

in October, Reyes’ lawyers informed the judge There would be no further delay in the case, and both parties appeared ready to go to trial.

Reyes previously had a felony assault with a deadly weapon charge in 2018 but was dismissed in 2021 because a witness was missing.

Since there are no other cases pending, Reyes will be released from prison.

Torres, a co-defendant in the case, is still charged with capital murder and has a pretrial hearing Friday.

KSAT 12 reached out to the DA’s office via email regarding the firing but did not hear back at the time of publication.