Co-Conspirators Take the Stand Against Capital Murder Suspect During Day 3

SAN ANGELO, TX –– The trial in the brutal murder of Eric Torrez continues as the jury sees even more pieces of this gruesome puzzle. Stephen Jennings is facing a capital murder charge in addition to several charges in connection to Torrez's death.

In a first for this trial, the medical examiner testified via Zoom after a scheduling conflict made it difficult for him to travel to San Angelo. According to Dr. Thomas Parsons, the remains had experienced a large amount of animal predation, and exposure to the elements led to an advanced level of decomposition. A picture of the remains showed Torrez's features were unrecognizable.

The official cause of death was identified as a gunshot wound to the head, with Parsons testifying the bullet entered the victim's left frontal scalp and exited in the left eye orbit. The images showed the victim's orbital region had damage consistent with a bullet. According to Parsons, Torrez would have required immediate medical attention if the shot hadn't been fatal.

During the morning portion of the day, the jury also heard from Lt. Marsh of the Ballinger Police Department. Marsh described the process that led authorities to determine Torrez's truck had been abandoned at the Walmart parking lots for several days. The jury also had the opportunity to see surveillance footage that showed Torrez's F-150 traveling just feet ahead of the defendant's car –– presumably while heading to the Walmart.

After lunch, the victim's mother, Dolores Cortez, took the stand. It was clearly an emotional moment for Mrs. Cortez, but she told the jury how her son had told her about his plans to travel to San Angelo to meet a potential client and asked her to pick up his daughter from daycare.

Mrs. Cortez also described the messages authorities found on the victim's phone that were sent by the defendant pretending to be a man named Daryl.

"Hey bud, it's Daryl. That Blackberry went tits up on me so I went to AT&T and got a new phone," read one of the messages.

Jennings would then tell Torrez that "his wife and daughter" had surprised him in San Angelo, and he should stop by to check out the properties they had previously discussed –– even going as far as suggesting the victim bring his daughter so the two girls could play.

Torrez replied he was at another construction site since he had not heard back from "Daryl" but eventually agreed to meet in San Angelo. Jennings would then provide him the address to the house on Duckworth Rd he shared with the victim's ex.

Mrs. Cortez also testified that less than an hour after picking up her granddaughter from daycare, Kristen Jennings entered the home unannounced and uninvited. According to Mrs. Cortez, the four-year-old seemed reluctant to leave with her biological mother, and she received multiple bruises after being pushed to the ground by Kristen.

Initially, Cortez attempted to contact her son but all her calls were sent to voicemail. When she reached out to the Abilene Police Department to report the situation with Kristen, officers told her that the biological had the legal right to take her daughter –– since there was no formal custody agreement between the two parties.

In an attempt to locate her son, Mrs. Cortez returned a missed call from "Daryl," who suggested maybe Torrez was out and about the town.

The next day Mrs. Cortez would continue to search for her son –– even calling neighboring counties to see if he had been stopped by police or if they had any record of him.

The last conversation she would ever have with her son would be when he told her he had arrived at Duckworth Rd.

Another witness to take the stand was Katie McWilliams, the long-time girlfriend of co-defendant David Navarro. McWilliams told the jury she dated Navarro for eleven years, living under a common-law marriage.

According to McWilliams, she knew Navarro knew Jennings for years and even visited the defendant's tattoo shop regularly. During those visits, she alleges Jennings would routinely complain of his wife's ex and claimed he wanted to beat him up and leave a scar, so he would never forget it.

Jennings stated Torrez had been physically abusive to Kristen and her new husband wanted him to pay. 

McWilliams also stated she and Navarro used methamphetamine nearly daily and that to the best of her knowledge, he was supposed to be at work when the kidnapping occurred but didn't know how much he had been involved.

One of the most anticipated witnesses, David Navarro, also took the stand. According to Navarro, he met Jennings after becoming his meth supplier nearly a decade ago. On July 21st, Navarro received a call from Jennings asking him to meet him at the house on Duckworth Rd.

When Navarro arrived at the property, Jennings allegedly told him that if the cops got involved, he needed to be the alibi for himself and his father, Gary Jennings.

After the defendant entered the home, Navarro saw a pickup pull up into the driveway, and he would be face to face with the victim, who introduced himself as Eric Torrez.

As the two entered the home, Navarro called out for "Stephen" but received no reply. Before he knew what had happened Jennings was pointing a gun in their direction and ordering the victim into an empty bedroom.

When Navarro entered the room he testified a blue tarp, duct tape, a chair, and a pitcher of water were all in the room. As he attempted to tie up the victim with duct tape and baling wire, Navarro stated Torrez refused to "cooperate" so he punched him in the side of the face.

Later on in the day, the jury would have the opportunity to see a picture of Torrez tied to a chair and with bruises on his face.

During his testimony, Navarro admitted to taking meth before seeing Jennings and while at the house after the kidnapping. According to Navarro, he did not remember hearing Torrez say anything and stated he was alive when he left and only admitted to hitting him once.

Even though Navarro was offered a plea deal of 25 years in prison in exchange for his testimony, he was often confrontational when his version of events was questioned –– especially regarding the motive behind recording a video of Torrez while he was in the chair.

Navarro's testimony showed his sense of time was not well adjusted as he conflated dates and placed events together that occurred days apart. During his entire testimony, he blamed meth for his lack of memory of his actions. He also claimed he was scared of being in Jennings' house even as he participated in the kidnapping in different ways because he was high. 

 Part of the investigation has revolved around the alleged video showing Torrez being assaulted. According to a former friend of Navarro's, on the day of the kidnapping, Navarro texted her and stated he had "f--ked up" and the two arranged to meet at the Neighborhood Walmart on Sherwood Way.

When the duo met, Navarro showed her a short video of a person, later identified as Eric Torrez, being beaten up by an anonymous suspect. While claiming she did not put much attention to the video, the woman stated she recognized Navarro's voice asking questions and a second male who assaulted Torrez. Navarro would allegedly tell her that had happened that same day.

She would subsequently identify the victim from the photograph showing him tied up.

During his testimony, Navarro stated the woman suggested he should delete the video and he followed her advice. According to the woman, she never told him to do anything with the footage.

Court will reconvene on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. as the long list of witnesses makes their way across the courtroom.

Recap of Day 1: Brutal & Gruesome Capital Murder Trial Underway in San Angelo

Recap of Day 2: Witnesses Recount Gruesome Details in San Angelo Capital Murder Trial