Woman sentenced for killing vet clinic employee

A woman who shot and killed her ex-husband’s former girlfriend outside a vet clinic last year was sentenced to 40 years in prison Friday.  Leticia Arcos, 37, pled guilty to first-degree murder for gunning down 32-year-old Kristy Appleby in the parking lot of the Bulverde Creek Animal Hospital.

Appleby had arrived for work at the animal clinic near Bulverde and Evans roads around 7:30 a.m. Feb. 10, 2009 when she was chased and shot by Arcos in front of several witnesses.  Appleby was transported to University Hospital where she later died. 

According to authorities, Arcos was angry at Appleby for having dated her ex-husband. 

In the fall of 2008, Arcos reportedly held a gun to Appleby and forced her to write a suicide note and ingest liquor and sleeping pills.  Appleby tried to get a protective order against Arcos after this incident but was denied because such orders are only granted when the parties involved are either married or romantically involved.

In light of this case, Sen Carlos Uresti introduced a bill that would close this loophole and allow protective orders to be obtained by all potential victims.  Senate and House committees passed the bill during the 2009 Legislative session, but the bill has yet to be made into law.  Uresti is expected to again push for this change in protective orders in the next session. 

“We cannot turn back the clock and bring Kristy back but we can ensure that no other family needlessly suffers when such incidents might be prevented with the proper tools for law enforcement,” says Uresti through a statement released by his office.  “I promise I will work tirelessly with all my colleagues to bring this issue to the Governor's desk as soon as possible and let Kristy's legacy be one that protects others from this ever happening again."