A 39-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for shooting and killing a pregnant woman in front of her two children at a Northwest Side motel.

Dillon Meckel was charged with capital murder of multiple persons for causing the death of Laura Placker, 37, and her unborn child, according to Bexar County court records.

The shooting happened around 9:45 p.m. on June 20, 2021, at a Motel 6 in the 7500 block of Louis Pasteur.

Meckel later admitted to San Antonio police officers at the scene that he had shot Placker, SAPD said.

Placker was shot in the head, according to police. After authorities attempted to save her life, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Placker’s two children, who were 4 years old and 6 years old at the time, were inside the motel room when the shootin

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