Bio

Juan Manuel Quintanilla Jr. was born on December 9, 1976. He grew up in Calhoun County, Texas. He had a poor education and attended school until about the eighth grade.

Quintanilla had a criminal record that began in 1995 when he pled guilty to second-degree felony burglary of a habitation. He received a ten-year sentence at that time. In the years that followed, he continued to engage in criminal behavior, which led to multiple arrests and convictions.

Before the murder of Victor Billings, which took place in 2002, Quintanilla was released from prison after serving time for several burglary convictions. 

Murder Story

On November 24, 2002, John Manuel Quintanilla Jr. and an accomplice entered a game center in Victoria, Texas. They came through a partially opened back door, carrying rifles and wearing gloves and pantyhose masks. Quintanilla ordered a clerk to give him the money from her apron. The clerk complied, handing over cash while Quintanilla pointed his rifle at her and another customer, Linda Billings.

While they were robbing the game center, Victor Billings, Linda’s husband, approached. Quintanilla shot Victor twice. In a struggle, Victor grabbed the muzzle of Quintanilla's rifle. Quintanilla shot Victor again, causing fatal wounds to his torso. He then fired at two other customers as they tried to escape through the front door. Those shots missed, but the robbers fled with about $2,000.

Quintanilla was arrested on January 14, 2003, on a warrant for an unrelated aggravated robbery. While in custody, he confessed to the murder and led the police to a canal where items used in the robbery were recovered. His accomplice, Jeffrey Bibb, was also charged and received a 60-year prison sentence for his role in the crime.

Quintanilla was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. His execution took place on July 12, 2013, by lethal injection. Before his execution, he expressed love for his wife but did not recognize his victim’s family, who watched through a window.