By DINA AREVALO
Jesus Juan Tamez
Special to the NEWS
Almost a year to the day after the death of Elizabeth Garcia Tamez, her husband Jesus Juan Tamez was been sentenced to 20 years in prison for her murder.
Tamez’s trial was originally slated to begin in January, but a plea agreement was reached on Friday, Dec. 12, according to Travis County Assistant District Attorney Andrea Austin who prosecuted the case. Tamez pleaded guilty to murder “for stabbing his wife and striking her about the head with a baseball bat,” Austin said. He was sentenced by Judge David Walhberg of the 167th District Court.
After being sentenced, Tamez heard victim impact statements from Garcia Tamez’s family and friends, said Austin. He is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 30 to hear the remainder of the allocution before being transferred to the Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice to begin serving his sentence.
It was just before 8 p.m. On Dec. 14, 2013 when police responded to the residence shared by the couple at the 6100 block of Boxcar Run in Austin. There they discovered Tamez Garcia’s body in the living room. Tamez was found unresponsive and in a “catatonic” state, according to police. Blood was observed on his clothing, but he appeared uninjured, according to a Travis County arrest affidavit.
Investigators originally thought Garcia Tamez was shot to death, but it was discovered that she had died of blunt force trauma. There were signs of defensive wounds, as well, according to the affidavit.
Police had previously responded to the Tamez home on Jan. 22, 2012 when Garcia Tamez alleged her husband had pointed a gun at her. Citing that she “feared for her life,” a protective order was issued. It expired on March 25, 2012.
The couple was originally from San Benito but moved to Austin in 1996.
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