Details on How Five Individuals Conspired To Commit the Murder of Eric Torrez

*WARNING: Strong Language

SAN ANGELO, TX — Almost two weeks after the gruesome discovery was made of Eric Torrez’s body, recently received court documents give some details into what happened leading up to Torrez’s death.

Court documents reveal how David Navarro, Stephen Jennings, Kristen Jennings, Angella Wray and Gary Lynn Jennings conspired to perform an overt act to Murder Torrez. The documents also show that the five individuals agreed with each other that Stephen Jennings and David Navarro would engage to conduct the Murder.

On July 21, 2017, Eric Torrez was contacted by Stephen Jennings to place a bid on a construction job. This bid, however, was just a ploy to eventually lure Torrez to a residence located at 7481 Duckworth Road in Tom Green County. Torrez was to travel outside of Taylor County, where he lived, for the bid. His absence would allow Kristen Jennings, wife to Stephen Jennings, and Gary Jennings, father of Stephen Jennings,  to travel to a residence in Taylor County for Kristen Jennings to gain physical possession over a female juvenile, the daughter of both Torrez and Kristen.

As previously reported, when Kristen Jennings arrived at Torrez’s residence in Taylor County, Jennings assaulted Torrez’s mother and took her daughter to the Duckworth Rd. residence. Kristen Jennings’ affidavit reads that she traveled to Taylor County with Gary and Stephen Jennings to follow Torrez in an attempt to learn the location of Torrez’s residence and day care facility of her daughter, the day before Torrez went missing.

In a string of text messages, law enforcement agencies reviewed text messages between Kristen, Stephen and Garry Jennings and  Angella Wray where it was discussed that Torrez was being held against his will at the residence on Duckworth Rd. It was also reviewed in texts messages received and sent by the four defendants between 7/20 - 7/22 that Kristen, Stephen and Garry Jennings discussed traveling to Nolan County Texas in an attempt to locate Torrez; Kristen, Stephen, and Garry Jennings, along with Angella Wray, discussed plans of the ploy to gain possession of the female juvenile from Taylor county; and Kristen told Stephen Jennings that she had done everything “y’all [had] told me to do”, an indication that Stephen, Kristen and Garry Jennings were actively participating in the said ploy to gain possession of the young female juvenile in Taylor County.

In Wray’s affidavit, it is detailed that Wray solicited a subject to assist Stephen Jennings as the “backup” to assault the victim and to gather information on the whereabouts of the young female juvenile. The Subject declined the request. Wray then agreed to watch two juveniles while Kristen and Gary Jennings traveled to Taylor County to take the daughter of Kirsten and Torrez. Furthermore, Wray kept the same two juveniles away from the Duckworth residence during the time Torrez was in the residence.

After taking Torrez to the residence on Duckworth Rd., court documents describe that Stephen Jennings got into a verbal and physical confrontation with Eric Torrez. During the physical confrontation, Stephen Jennings gained possession of a firearm and shot and killed Eric Torrez.

Text messages reveal that Stephen Jennings then texted  David Navarro stating that “the dudes on his way … I’m freaking out ….  I don’t know what to do …. I really need to talk to you.”  

Stephen Jennings then contacted Garry Jennings. Garry told law enforcement that Stephen Jennings had told him that he had performed acts that caused the death of the victim by shooting the victim in the head with a firearm.

Garry Jennings advised that he, Stephen and Kristen Jennings, had conducted several phone calls discussing the murder of Torrez.

Garry Jennings also told law enforcement that he had observed Torrez with a gunshot wound to the head and laying on the floor in the living area. He then admitted to cleaning up the scene with Stephen Jennings by mopping up a pool of blood and assisting in moving the body of the victim by physically taking hold of the socks that were on the feet of Torrez. Garry Jennings also admitted to helping Stephen Jennings physically move the human remains from the floor to the back door of the residence.

A short time later, according to Kristen Jennings' affidavit, a woman named Nikki Nash received a text message from David Navarro stating that he had “fucked up bad” and wanted to meet with her. Nash and Navarro met in a business parking lot located on Sherwood Way. During the meeting Navarro showed Nash, who Navarro he has known since 2007, to include an intimate relationship, a video on his cellular device depicting a Hispanic male subject that appeared to be sitting down and restrained with his arms down to his side. Nash identified Torrez after recalling seeing him in a photograph. Nash stated that the video showed Torrez sitting in the chair beaten and bleeding from his head and mouth area. His eyes were swollen and  looked tired and worn out as if he had been there for some period of time. Nash said that Torrez moved his head but he was not being combative to get away and he was not speaking.

In the video, Nash heard Navarro yelling at the victim in an angry tone and then saw a subject step in front of the video recording device to physically strike the victim from the side. The blow caused Torrez to make a grunting type of sound. Nash also saw what she described as scratched on the back of Navarro’s knuckle.

On July 25, AT&T pinged the cell phone of Eric Torrez. The last known ping of the cell phone occurred at 1:19:16 p.m. on Friday July 21, within six-hundred meters of the Duckworth Rd. residence.

Two days later, a search warrant was executed of the Duckworth residence where blood spatter was located by Texas Ranger Nick Hanna and observed to be on the wall in the immediate area of where Garry Jennings had said he had observed the body of the victim.

Eight days later, on August 4, Torrez’s body was found in a rural area of Crockett County by Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office Deputies. Texas Ranger Hanna observed at least one gunshot wound to the head.

Torrez’s body was transported to the South Plains Forensic Pathology located in Lubbock County for an autopsy where the victim’s cause of death was determined to be a single gunshot wound to the head.

Angella Wray and Kristen Anne Jennings have been charged with Engaging in Organized criminal Activity, to wit: Murder, a first degree felony. Stephen Lynn Jennings and David Navarro have been charged with Murder, a first degree felony, and Garry Jennings has been charged with Tamper/Fabricate Physical Evidence with Intent to Impair, a third degree felony.

The  timeline of stories in the disappearance of Eric Torrez: 

• Missing Abilene Man Headed Towards San Angelo, Possibly in Danger - 7/26/2017
• Abilene Man Missing Since Friday May Be Victim of Foul Play - 7/27/2017
• Sheriff: Missing Man Eric Torrez Victim of Homicide - 7/28/2017
• UPDATE: Ex-Wife of Missing Abilene Man Transferred to Abilene Jail - 7/29/2017
• Prayer Vigil for Eric Torrez to be Held Tonight - 8/2/2017
• Sheriff Finds Body of Eric Torrez - 8/4/2017
• Now 5 Arrested in Case of Murder of Eric Torrez - 8/9/2017