Delacruz Breaks Down While Tanya Bermea Testifies About Previous Assault

SAN ANGELO, TX -- Isidro Delacruz’s demeanor has changed since a jury convicted him of capital murder last Thursday.  He broke down crying beside defense attorneys as Tanya Bermea testified about him choking her until she passed out twice and urinated on herself a year before Delacruz killed Naiya Villegas.

Testimony in the punishment phase of Delacruz’s capital murder trial began Monday morning.  He faces the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. Defense attorney Robert Cowie recommended District Judge Ben Woodward appoint new attorneys for Delacruz’s appeal now because his current attorneys are not qualified to defend him on appeal.  

Cowie and Will Boyles are members of the Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases office in Lubbock.  San Angelo attorney Frank Brown is Delacruz’s local court appointed attorney.

Testimony began Monday with Defense attorneys filing a motion to impose a life without parole sentence.  Judge Woodward denied that motion. The jury was seated at 9:05 a.m. and District Attorney Allison Palmer began with her opening statement.  Palmer told jurors she would call witnesses and enter evidence to fill in the blanks and provide more information about Delacruz’s background.  She cautioned jurors that she would call Tanya Bermea back to the stand. Bermea broke down on the stand last week and seemingly had a large impact on the jury’s guilty verdict.

Defense attorney Will Boyles told jurors in his opening statement that he was “heart broken and disappointed in their verdict, but I respect it.”  He said that Naiya should not have died that night and that no one else needs to die. Boyles said the defense would prove that while Delacruz is not a model person and hasn’t been a model prisoner and has impulse issues, he is not a continuing threat to society.  

After opening statements, Palmer called Frank Tipton to the stand.  Tipton testified about Delacruz’s behavior while in the Roy K. Robb Residential Treatment Center in San Angelo.  

At the end of the day Monday, Palmer and Boyles told Judge Woodward they expected testimony to continue in the punishment phase through Friday.  

For more on Monday, April 2, 2018 testimony, see DA Allison Palmer said Delacruz a danger to society since he was 14 years old.