Man gets 55 years for 2017 killing

A Travis County jury sentenced a man to 55 years in prison Thursday after prosecutors said he stomped and kicked a woman who later died from her injuries.

Alexander Holland, 46, was found guilty Thursday of the murder of 39-year-old Luz Munoz. Munoz and her boyfriend were homeless and were camping behind a restaurant on East Riverside Drive, just east of Interstate 35, when Holland approached them on Jan. 18, 2017, Travis County prosecutors said. Holland demanded that Holland return a cellphone he had loaned her, prosecutors said.

She was sleeping on some pallets at the time, police said in 2017.

The argument turned physical, and Holland stomped and kicked Munoz multiple times in the head, causing her brain to swell severely, prosecutors said. Munoz had emergency surgery but never recovered. Her family removed life support 36 hours later.

Holland had Munoz's blood on his shoe when he was arrested two days after the assault, prosecutors said.

“We appreciate the hard work of the jury in evaluating the facts and reaching its decision," Travis County prosecutors said in a statement Friday. "This case presented some difficult evidence that was challenging to hear and process, and we thank the jury for its diligence. We hope the family is able to find some peace and closure following this result.”

Munoz's boyfriend testified at the trial, as did a witness who saw the assault and pulled into the parking lot, prosecutors said. The witness was able to identify Holland as the attacker, prosecutors said.