Suspect Pleads Guilty to Homicide
Jim Wells County Sheriff’s Office
ALICE, TEXAS (News Release) - Sheriff Joseph "Guy" Baker announced the guilty plea of Paul Anthony Vasquez in connection with a homicide that occurred on February 9, 2023, in Jim Wells County.
On the evening of February 9, 2023, at approximately 1:43 a.m., Jim Wells County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to County Road 1554 after a 10-year-old girl called for help.
Upon arrival, deputies observed a female deceased from an apparent gunshot wound to the head. She was later identified as Rebecca Letson.
The 10-year-old girl was Letson’s daughter, who told deputies her father allegedly shot her mother.
After further investigation by the Jim Wells County Sheriff’s Investigators, along with the Texas Ranger, Vasquez was arrested and charged with murder.
On Thursday, August 21, 2025, Vasquez pled guilty to Murder in connection with the death of Rebecca Letson.
District Judge Michael V. Garcia of the 79th District Court sentenced Vasquez to 35 years' incarceration in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice pursuant to a plea agreement approved by the Jim Wells County District Attorney's Office.
Vasquez is currently being held at the Jim Wells County Jail and will be transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in the coming days.
“Those who commit violent crimes in our community will face justice,” said Sheriff Baker. “This was a callous and senseless act. Because of the determined effort by our investigators who remained steadfast, today there is justice for the victim and their family.”
