By Allen Essex
Valley Morning Star
HARLINGEN, Texas — Jurors handed Abraham Mar a 99-year prison sentence Monday for the attempted capital murder of a Harlingen police officer.
After the sentence was announced in 357th state District Court, weeping relatives surrounded his mother, Virginia Mar, in a tearful knot in the courthouse lobby.
Mar had earlier pleaded guilty to the June 25 shooting of Harlingen police officer Carlos Diaz and last week’s trial was held so a jury could assess punishment.
The jury also handed down a two-year state jail felony sentence for a second offense of fleeing police in a motor vehicle.
The jury sentenced Mar to pay $10,000 fines for each charge.
“The jury gave him the maximum on the evading and they gave him the maximum term of years that they could give on the attempted capital murder case,” Chief First Assistant Cameron County District Attorney Charles Mattingly said.