Man who shot his roommate and left him paralyzed will be deported after serving his prison term

An illegal immigrant who last year shot his roommate — paralyzing him from the neck down — must spend 10 years in prison before being deported.

Antonio Sanchez, 20, pleaded guilty Thursday in Jackson County Circuit Court to a charge of first-degree assault. Circuit Court Judge Ray White ordered him to serve two and a half years more than the crime’s mandatory prison sentence because the harm to 25-year-old Gerardo Banuelos was "greater than typical."

Nearly seven months after the Dec. 18 shooting at the men’s Cherry Street home, Banuelos remains in a nursing facility in the Portland area, said Beth Heckert, chief deputy district attorney for Jackson County. Banuelos requires a feeding tube and round-the-clock care, Heckert told the court.

"His hands don’t even work," sobbed Banuelos’ sister, Ortensia Banuelos. "Not even to eat when he’s hungry.

"He keeps screaming at me to let him die or just to kill him," the woman told the judge via a Spanish interpreter.

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White called the crime "unbelievable, senseless violence."

No argument preceded the 9:30 a.m. shooting, Heckert told the judge. But Sanchez told his girlfriend, whom Banuelos had also dated, that he was going to kill the older man, she said.

"The defendant just walked into the bedroom, pointed a gun, said, ‘This is the end of the road for you, friend ...,’ and shot," Heckert told the court.

The single shot from Sanchez’s handgun hit Banuelos in the neck and severed his spinal cord, Heckert said. Social Security has so far paid for Banuelos’ care, she added. However, Sanchez will be ordered to pay restitution.

Sanchez did not say anything before hearing his sentence. White agreed to dismiss charges of attempted murder, unlawful use of a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm in exchange for Sanchez’s plea. Mandatory prison sentences are the same length for both first-degree assault and attempted murder.

Three other men who lived in the house were held in jail for about four months as material witnesses in the case, Heckert said. One was deported upon his release, she added. Baneulos and his roommates worked at gardening and reforestation, Heckert said.

Reach reporter Sarah Lemonat 776-4487, or e-mail slemon@mailtribune.com.