A 23-year-old Fort Worth man was sentenced by a jury to 20 years in prison for his role in a July 2019 armed robbery in South Lubbock that resulted in the slaying of his step-grandfather.

Jurors deliberated for about two hours and 45 minutes before returning to the 364th District Court with their punishment for Felix Alonzo, who has been out on bond since March 14, 2021.

The verdict came after a trial that began Feb. 28 when Alonzo entered an open plea of guilty to a count of aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony that carries a punishment of five years to life in prison. However, jurors could also recommend to place him on probation.

The charge against Alonzo stems from a Lubbock police investigation into the July 13, 2019 shooting death of 67-year-old Larry Fawver in the rear driveway of his home in the 5600 block of 122nd Street.

Fawver’s wife, and Alonzo's biological grandmother, Elida, told jurors during the trial that she saw her husband driving his green tractor from the front of their home to the rear driveway. Moment’s later, she saw him kneeling on the ground, surrounded by masked men in dark, hooded clothes.

She said her husband yelled at her to run away, saying the men were armed with a gun. She said she heard a gunshot as she ran to her daughter’s home, where she called 911.

Security camera video near the intersection showed three men walking toward the area of the shooting then walking away about 20 minutes later. One of the men was seen taking off his pants and leaving them on the roadway, 600 feet from where Fawver was killed. The man walked away wearing orange basketball type shorts with white stripes and blue and white checkered boxer shorts.

Alonzo was arrested about 20 minutes after the shooting at the scene of a single-vehicle crash near the intersection of U.S. 84 and County Road 7500, about 7 miles away from where Fawver was shot.

Alonzo was taken to University Medical Center for his injuries. He was wearing basketball-type shorts with white stripes and blue and white checkered boxer shorts and possessed a stolen 9 mm firearm. Alonzo’s hairstyle also resembled the hair of the man in the security camera footage who took off his pants.

The stolen gun was loaded with bullets that matched the bullet casing found at the scene of Fawver’s killing.

A search of the vehicle yielded evidence including ski masks, a black long-sleeve hoodie, a black toboggan, white latex gloves that resemble the glove left at the crime scene and a black backpack.

Alonzo was one of two adults and three juveniles charged in connection with the crime.

He is the first adult to stand trial in the case. Hassan Abdurahman, 24, remains held at the Lubbock County Detention Center as he awaits trail.

Meanwhile, two of the juveniles in the case have been adjudicated in the case, while one fled the country, officials said.

Alonzo who has about a year and a half's worth of jail credit, will have to serve half of his sentence before he is eligible to seek parole.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Felix Alonzo sentenced to 20 years for role in 2019 deadly shooting