Additional 15 years for auto shop owner in murder case
Posted/updated on: October 30, 2025 at 3:22 am
TYLER — Seferino Bautista-Renteria, 36, who was originally sentenced to 60 years in state prison following the murder of 19-year-old Rawly “Eli” Sanchez, has been given an additional 15 years following connected charges.
On the night of July 4, 2024, Sanchez and his friends made a U-turn in their truck behind Bautista-Renteria’s auto shop, Bautista Auto. According to our news partner KETK, while the truck was turning behind the shop, the driver reported seeing a person with an AK-47 style rifle who started shooting. Sanchez was hit in the back of the head by a bullet while sitting in the back of the truck. Sanchez’s friends immediately took him to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Law enforcement spoke with witnessed and identified Bautista-Renteria as the shooter. He was detained and booked into the Smith County Jail with a warrant for first degree murder and a $1 million bond.
On March 31, Bautista-Renteria was found guilty of murder with a 60-year sentence in state prison, with additional pending charges.
Bautista-Renteria pleaded guilty to two additional charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Monday. He was given 15 years for each charge and will serve them concurrently with his 60-year sentence.
