Capital Murder Indictments Handed Down in Killing of Eric Torrez

 

SAN ANGELO, TX — A Tom Green County grand jury indicted four of the suspects accused of kidnapping and then killing Eric Torrez on Oct. 2 and 3.

Torrez was lured to a home on Duckworth Rd. in the county, held hostage, and eventually shot and in the head and killed in July, according to court documents and police reports. His body was found in a field in Crockett County by Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office investigators and Texas Rangers on Aug, 4.

The crime spanned two cities, Abilene and San Angelo, and involved custody of Torrez’s child he fathered with one of the suspects, Kristen Anne Dean.

Stephen Jennings, Kristen’s husband now, is charged with capital murder and could face the death penalty if District Attorney John Best seeks it. Stephen Jennings is accused in law enforcement documents of fetching the firearm and shooting Torrez in the head.

Before Torrez was killed, he endured days of captivity, being bound to a chair. Alleged co-conspirator David Navarro is accused of torturing Torrez and showing a video of himself striking a bloodied and bound Torrez to an old girlfriend. The girlfriend told Sheriff’s investigators, “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.” (See Details on how 5 conspired to kill Eric Torrez).

Navarro was indicted for capital murder as well.

For allegedly assisting in the crime, the grand jury indicted Stephen’s father, Garry Jennings. He faces charges of First Degree Murder, Aggravated Kidnapping, and Tamper/fabricate physical evidence of a corpse with intent to impair a law enforcement investigation. Garry Jennings is accused of helping in cleaning up the crime scene and then helping Stephen hide the body in field in Crockett County, between Ozona and Barnhart, where the body was found.

Angella Wray, the alleged babysitter, who is said to have facilitated the killing by watching the Jennings’ older children while Stephen and Kristen Jennings handled Torrez, was also indicted. She was indicted for aggravated kidnapping and engaging in organized crime.

Stephen Jenning’s wife Kristen was charged in Tom Green County for capital murder, aggravated kidnapping, and engaging in organized criminal activity. She was extradited to Taylor County where she sits in jail facing charges of burglary of a habitation. Her bond there is set at $1,050,000. She has a bond reduction hearing upcoming Oct. 12, according to Taylor County Court records. There are no indictments posted yet in Tom Green or Taylor County court records for Kristen Jennings, or by her maiden name, Kristen Anne Dean.

Who was indicted with what:

Stephen Jennings, husband of Kristen Jennings – 3 counts total.

  • Capital Murder (life in prison or death penalty)
  • Aggravated Kidnapping (first-degree felony)
  • Tamper/Fabricating with evidence Corpse with intent to impair (second-degree felony)

Garry Jennings, Stephen’s father – 3 counts total

  • Murder (first-degree felony – 5-99 years in prison)
  • Aggravated Kidnapping (first-degree felony)
  • Tamper/Fabricating with evidence Corpse with intent to impair (second-degree felony)

David Navarro, friend of Stephen Jennings – 2 counts total

  • Capital Murder (life in prison or death penalty)
  • Aggravated Kidnapping (first-degree felony)

Angella Wray, the Jennings’ babysitter – 2 counts total

  • Aggravated kidnapping (first-degree felony)
  • Engaging in organized crime (second-degree felony)

Kristen Jennings, Stephen’s wife and Torrez’s ex – No indictments yet.

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Eric Torrez had been beating Kristen and abusing her and the children for a good long while before all this. I know this for a fact. He wasn't at all innocent in this and as far as I'm concerned, I congratulate Stephen and all involved for finally standing up for justice WHEN THE LAW FAILED TO DO SO. Now they're trying to push lifetime incarceration or the death penalty on a man who stood up and did the right thing. I heard the horror stories and saw the pictures years ago of what led to Eric's demise. You know its a failed system and failed community effort when someone has to die a violent death before anyone cares to listen.

So you are telling me that it is ok that they kidnapped and brutally beat this man before they decided to play God and kill him? You are a sick as they are and maybe you were involved and should be in jail with them. Anyone that will stand up and defend someone that brutally beat and killed someone needs serious help, you might consider counseling before you end up where they are with that kind of thinking.

Defending a man who brutally beat and bestowed violence on another human? Seems like you're doing the same, except your defense is for a man who abused a woman and kids over many years time, and my defense is for a man who did something to end it. Woah, what kind of weirdo defends an abusive boyfriend/husband and father... (Ya know since you want to start taking personal stabs at me and all). That just isn't rational .

Maybe it shouldn't have resulted in what it did. A good ol fashioned a** whoopin to change a man for life. You can't do that though, because they're going to sue the pants off of you for assault and they'll win no matter how wrong they are. Maybe that's why we're told by the police and sheriffs departments themselves, that you never shoot an attacker/aggressor to harm them. You shoot to kill them. Period. Just food for thought.

Nothing gives anyone the right to take another persons life. I don't know whether this man did or did not abuse his family.. however, many of the individuals that were involved with this (including his ex wife and her current spouse) have records. It is all public record. All of the people involved especially those children left behind need prayer.

Including capital punishment and/or life long detainment for someone who isn't a threat to society. He wasn't and isn't a threat to anyone other than the man whom had been physically and emotionally abusing his wife for years and continued to do so in, what I as a mother would say, is the most dispicable way possible. You don't mess with someone using their child. That's a recipe for disaster and I doubt any parent put in the same situation wouldn't react in the same way. In fact, its an absolutely ludicrous thing to ask of someone to sit by and do nothing while the law and those enforcing it fail to do a damn thing about it. Absofreakinlutely unreasonable.

This is a country based on "Rule of Law". Without rule of law, there is anarchy, whereby civilized society ceases to exist. In your world, it would be okay for someone to kidnap and execute your child or loved one, because this person thought your loved one deserved it. They would be judge, jury and executioner. Using your own logic----you should be in favor of type of "so called" justice. PFFFFT!!! No way you would go along with this, if your loved one was the person executed!

You have to have been in that position to understand just how evil an abuser is. The fact that the courts took his side is unforgivable.
The family who is accused of dispensing of him, may not have handled it well. But I certainly do understand why they did it. This was probably the only way to completely stop the abuse.

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