A Bexar County judge on Friday sentenced Nicholas Hernandez to 35 years in state prison for the road-rage murder of Julie Marie Butcher, a 31-year-old mother of four who was shot in the head Nov. 8, 2024, as she drove along the Interstate 35 southbound access road near Rittiman Road.
Authorities said the case moved from a chaotic crash scene to a conviction through a combination of eyewitness accounts, surveillance footage and phone records that placed Hernandez at the shooting. Prosecutors described the sentence as the maximum allowed under a negotiated plea, closing a high-profile case that rattled commuters and left a family without its matriarch. The ruling caps a yearlong investigation and court process that began with an arrest in late 2024 and ended with a formal judgment in January 2026. Immediate questions now involve the administrative transfer of Hernandez to state custody and the filing of final court paperwork.
Shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 8, 2024, police and paramedics were called to the I-35 access road between Eisenhauer and Rittiman for reports of shots fired and a rollover. Officers found Butcher inside an overturned SUV in a roadside ditch with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. A witness told investigators a blue-and-silver sedan pulled alongside Butcher’s vehicle and the driver fired, then sped away toward Rittiman. An arrest affidavit later said nearby businesses and traffic-facing cameras captured a similar car leaving the area within minutes. “Julie’s life was tragically taken, and we hope her loved ones can take some measure of solace in the sentence imposed today,” Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said after the hearing.
Investigators said an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip arrived on Nov. 10, 2024, identifying “Nick Hernandez” and claiming he confessed to a friend. Detectives obtained and analyzed phone records that, according to the affidavit, placed Hernandez’s device at the scene that evening. Additional witnesses came forward with details consistent with the first account, and investigators linked the blue-and-silver sedan to Hernandez. He was arrested on Nov. 27, 2024, and initially charged with murder. The medical examiner ruled Butcher’s death a homicide caused by a single shot to the head. A 9 mm handgun was cited in court filings; authorities have not publicly specified a recovered weapon. Officials said the motive remains unclear beyond an encounter described as a road-rage confrontation. No other suspects are being sought.
Butcher worked as a general manager at a Papa John’s in New Braunfels and was widely described by relatives and coworkers as the steady center of a busy household. Friends said she kept tight schedules for school and sports and checked in late at night if a shift ran long. After the shooting, mourners placed flowers and a small wooden cross near the spot where the SUV came to rest off the access road. The roadside memorial remained a quiet stop during the week of sentencing, with fresh notes and ribbons in her favorite color. Her name circulated widely during the investigation as drivers along the corridor shared concerns about aggressive driving and sudden confrontations that can escalate within seconds.
In court last week, Hernandez entered a plea under an agreement that capped his punishment at 35 years. State District Judge Kristina Escalona imposed the maximum allowed by the deal on Jan. 23, 2026. Prosecutors told the court that case evidence formed a consistent chain: accounts from multiple witnesses, location data, and video of a car matching the description fleeing the scene. Defense remarks were brief; Hernandez addressed the court and said he accepted responsibility. The district attorney’s office did not discuss parole calculations in open court. With credit for time served since his 2024 arrest, Hernandez will be transferred from county jail to the state prison system after the written judgment is processed.
Records show the investigation leaned on routine but time-sensitive steps that often decide road-rage cases: mapping shell casings and glass patterns, canvassing for cameras pointed toward frontage roads, and tracing vehicles by make and color through license-plate hits. Detectives said business surveillance near the access road helped narrow the timeline from the last moment Butcher’s SUV was seen intact to the minutes after the gunshot. Phone messages obtained by investigators were described as aligning with statements from acquaintances who said Hernandez acknowledged the shooting in the days that followed. Authorities have not identified a single triggering remark or gesture, and they said the exact words exchanged between the drivers are unknown.
Family members spoke briefly outside the courthouse, thanking supporters and describing the punishment as accountability that cannot restore what was lost. Relatives said the focus now shifts to caring for the children and managing daily routines that Butcher handled from school pickups to weekend shifts. Drivers who use the I-35 corridor near Rittiman said the case weighed on them for more than a year, a reminder of how quickly ordinary trips can turn. “It’s been on our minds every time we pass that spot,” a commuter said, pausing near the small cross that still overlooks the drainage ditch.
As of Monday, Hernandez remained in Bexar County custody pending transfer to state prison. Court officials expect the written judgment and commitment order to be entered this week. No additional hearings are scheduled. The police investigative file will be archived after final records are logged, and the roadside memorial has grown again with flowers added over the weekend.
Author note: Last updated January 26, 2026.