San Antonio, Texas — A judge has sentenced Jer Auntey Pleasant to four concurrent 50-year prison terms stemming from a series of violent crimes, including the shooting deaths of two men in April 2023. Prosecutors stated that Pleasant used a dating app to set up meetings that led to the fatal encounters.
The sentencing occurred in the 186th District Court and encompassed the murders of Larry Wilson, 54, and Joseph West, 22. Pleasant was also convicted of aggravated robbery and aggravated sexual assault of a child. This comprehensive sentence highlights the severity of his actions, linking multiple violent incidents into a single judicial outcome.
The first homicide occurred on April 14, 2023, at the Banyan Tree Apartments. Investigators reported that Wilson arranged a meeting via Grindr under the guise of a user named “Derek.” After arriving in his white Ford SUV, he communicated his location to his would-be assailant. Eyewitnesses described seeing a figure in a red hoodie firing multiple shots into Wilson’s vehicle shortly before 11 p.m. His brother, Johnny Wilson, expressed deep sorrow, suggesting the incident felt like a severe betrayal, stating, “I feel in my heart he was set up.”
The following day, police conducted a welfare check at an apartment complex and discovered West deceased on his bed, with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. Concerned about West’s unexplained silence, a friend peered in through a window and promptly called emergency services. Investigators soon uncovered that West also had contact with Pleasant on a dating platform prior to his death.
A key element linking the two cases was physical evidence. Authorities found Pleasant’s fingerprints on condom wrappers at both crime scenes, and his prints were also discovered inside West’s vehicle. Ballistics analysis revealed that shell casings from both homicides matched the same 9 mm firearm, thus solidifying the connection between the two incidents.
Prosecutors argued that the killings were part of a broader pattern of violent behavior. They highlighted a prior aggravated robbery in March 2022 where Pleasant had met another victim through the same dating app and shot him during the assault. In July 2022, he was convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old, with DNA evidence later confirming his identity in that case. These earlier convictions were incorporated into the final sentencing, demonstrating a repeated method of luring victims and resorting to violence.
Judge Kristina Escalona delivered the sentence, which resulted in an effective 50-year prison term for Pleasant, as the four terms will run concurrently. Despite the cumulative nature of the sentence, Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales expressed that this ruling serves as a step toward justice for the victims and their families.
Public interest has been heightened by the circumstances surrounding the killings, particularly the settings where the violent acts took place—a parked vehicle in a residential area and a friend’s simple inquiry for West that led to tragic discovery.
As of April 2026, the case represents a significant chapter in Pleasants’ criminal history, with any potential future legal maneuvers now centered on the nature of the evidence presented. The portrayal of these events underscores a grim reminder of the risks involved in personal interactions facilitated through dating applications, as two lives were tragically cut short within a span of 24 hours.