Murder of Josue Flores: Judge to sentence man found guilty of stabbing 11-year-old boy to death in 2016

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – Already knowing that a prison sentence is a certainty, the man convicted of the murder of 11-year-old Josue Flores walked into a courtroom on Wednesday afternoon to find out how long he will go behind bars.

Andre Jackson’s demeanor on Wednesday was vastly different from the day before when a jury read the guilty verdict for the Houston boy’s 2016 stabbing. He smiled and talked with his lawyer remarkably more than he expected. has been seen at any other time during the last seven days of his trial. This contrasts with the crying spell he had on Tuesday afternoon.

Jackson, who faces five years to life in prison, decided to have Judge Denise Collins convict rather than the jurors.

The prosecution asked Josue’s father and sister to stand up and confront Jackson in Wednesday’s proceedings. Both explained the positive and negative impacts that Josue’s passing had on them.

Through a Spanish language translator, Juan Flores explained the difficulty his family had trying to move on, as they moved away from the neighborhood where Josue was killed so that his other children don’t have to constantly remember what happened.

Josue’s sister, Guadalupe, revealed that he inspired her nursing career from the start of her life.

“A lot of things were taken away from us as a family. We couldn’t say goodbye to him. I couldn’t give him a hug or a goodbye kiss,” Guadalupe said.

Most heartbreaking, as she mentioned many times, is that Joshua died alone.

“We were deprived of the opportunity to give him comfort,” she said. “I can only do the best thing. Nursing is the best thing. I can comfort people when they are alone.”

The last state witness was Josue’s best friend, who was probably the last person to see him alive. He remembers leaving school with Josue the day he was killed, later parting with a handshake and a hug.

“To date, I haven’t had a best friend like Josue,” the friend said, adding that he and Josue are expected to graduate from high school together this month.

Just the day before, the Flores family had remained silent as the verdict was read by a jury that had deliberated for less than three hours.

SEE RELATED STORY: Andre Jackson faces 5 years to life in prison after being found guilty of murdering 11-year-old Josue Flores

“We the jury find the defendant, Andre Timothy Jackson, guilty of murder as charged in the indictment,” a member of the jury said.

The Flores family waited six years for a guilty verdict.

During the trial, the defense team tried to convince the jury that it was a botched investigation, but prosecutors said Jackson was seen fleeing the area after the murder. Josue’s DNA was also found on Jackson’s coat.

Prosecutors also told jurors that the boy’s DNA could have been on his coat only if Jackson had killed him.

Since the murder six years ago, a North Side memorial has demanded justice for Josue. ABC13 has been informed that with the guilty verdict, the request has been granted and the memorial will be dismantled.

Judge Collins’ sentence may not be served on Wednesday. Jackson’s attorneys informed the court that one of their character witnesses is only available via Zoom and in person on Thursday.