Rosenthal will prosecute man accused of killing cop

The legal situation regarding Juan Leonardo Quintero, an illegal immigrant accused of shooting a Houston police officer to death after a traffic stop last week, is shaping up: According to the Chronicle, Harris County DA Chuck Rosenthal will put on his prosecutor's hat to lead the case against Quintero. Rosenthal hasn't helped prosecute a case in years, but he said he was moved by a meeting with Officer Rodney Johnson's family.

Quintero, meanwhile, remains in custody without bail. The Mexican Consulate is keeping an eye on his case and has offered him legal help, Mexican consul general in Houston Carlos Ignacio González Magallón told the Chron. "We're involved from day one, all the way through, regardless of the outcome, when a sentence is meted out," he said. "Then if the lawyers think there is grounds to appeal, which is almost always the case, then we assist further till the very end." Quintero has a lawyer, Jim Leitner, and local attorney Danalynn Recer, who represents Mexican nationals charged with murder, has also signed onto the case.

Police say they have a "full confession" from Quintero, who reportedly shot Johnson four times while handcuffed in the back seat of Johnson's patrol car using a 9mm pistol hidden in his waistband. According to KHOU, the gun belongs to Quintero's wife, Theresa, a security guard. Theresa Quintero said she always kept the gun under lock and key, but she refused a comment on the case at Quintero's hearing yesterday, only saying she was sorry for Johnson's family. She reportedly broke into tears and collapsed while leaving the courthouse.

Rosenthal said he doesn't know whether he'll seek the death penalty and expressed some confusion over why the shooting happened in the first place:

"It's a bizarre case, as I told the judge during the probable cause hearing, he was in the backseat of a police car, and it's got a full cage," he said. "So there wasn't any way he was gonna get out of there. And why he would shoot an officer and basically just have to wait for others to come arrest him is bizarre."

Quintero's next trial hearing will be held Oct. 19. In the meantime, his attorneys asked that he be placed on suicide watch.

A daylong visitation for Johnson is being held today at Grace Community Church, 14505 Gulf Freeway between Scarsdale and Dixie Farm Road. The city will also hold a prayer vigil for Johnson in front of City Hall at 6:30 p.m. today.