A trial the Midlands has followed with fascination wrapped July 6.

Gregorio Leon III, the 56-year-old owner of several local San Jose Mexican restaurants, was convicted of the Valentine’s Day 2016 murder of Arturo Bravos Santos, 28, who was engaged in a romantic relationship with Leon’s wife.

A Lexington County jury convicted Leon of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, with Chief Administrative Judge Walton McLeod sentencing him to 30 years in prison, the state minimum for murder. He is not eligible for parole.

According to a release, the jury came back with its decision after less than three hours of deliberation.

The trial began June 19.

“Despite all the delays in bringing this case to trial, our office never lost focus on seeking justice for the victim and holding Mr. Leon accountable,” 11th Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard, who prosecuted the case alongside Deputy Solicitor Suzanne Mayes, is quoted. “We are grateful to our jurors who patiently and diligently followed the evidence.” 

On the evening of Feb. 14, 2016, at about 8:22 p.m., Leon departed his San Jose restaurant on U.S. Highway 1 in Lexington County, the release details.

Evidence presented at the trial showed Leon had placed a tracking device beneath the hood of the Mercedes SUV belonging to his wife, Rachel Leon. Using the device and an app downloaded to his phone, he was able to find his wife that Valentine’s Day, making his way to the Park and Ride near the intersection of Corley Mill Road and U.S. Highway 378.

“Video surveillance obtained from the Park and Ride location depicts Leon arriving to the scene at a high rate of speed in his Range Rover SUV,” the release states. “Rachel Leon and the victim, Arturo Bravo Santos, were already present at the parking lot and were seated in the backseat of a 2014 Toyota Tundra truck. Evidence obtained during the investigation confirmed that Rachel Leon and Santos were involved in a romantic relationship. 

“Leon can be seen on video emerging from the Range Rover and approaching the Tundra, then drawing a handgun from his pocket when he reaches the hood area of the truck. Within seconds, he approaches a rear door of the truck and opens it. Leon fired multiple shots into the back seat of the truck, fatally injuring Santos.”

Video showed that Leon then fled at high speed, leaving his wife behind with Santos’ body. 

“Although Rachel Leon was not injured by gunfire, evidence in this case indicates that Leon believed he shot both his wife and Santos,” the release states.

“Approximately 11 minutes after the shooting, Leon made a 911 call after having placed calls to an attorney and his son. During the trial, the state presented audio recordings of the 911 call in which Leon stated, ‘I shot my wife and her lover … I shot ‘em both.’ Leon further told the 911 dispatcher, ‘They were sitting in the car messing around, and I pulled up, and I found them, and I shot ‘em.’” 

Leon threw the .357 revolver he used in the shooting into some woods near the 3400 block of Augusta Road before turning himself into the Lexington Police Department, with the release noting that law enforcement had at that point begun trying to locate him at his businesses and residence.

Crime scene investigators with the state Law Enforcement Division determined that four rounds found at the scene of the murder had been fired by the revolver used by Leon.

“Additional testimony presented at trial established that Leon and a co-conspirator were involved in paying a witness $500 to make false statements regarding the victim, including false allegations that Santos engaged in violent acts and was a gang member,” the release states.