Texas man kills cop uncle over the way ‘he felt unwelcomed and unloved ’ by him: Prosecutors

A Texas man has confessed to murdering his uncle, a school district police dispatcher who had helped raise him as if he were his own son.

Antonio Guzman, 22, is accused of fatally shooting 37-year-old Jose Torres multiple times in the face during a private meeting at Torres’ home in the Spring Branch neighborhood of northwest Houston on Friday.

Guzman later admitted to authorities that he carried out the killing because he felt “unwelcomed and unloved” by his uncle, according to Harris County prosecutors.

Court filings reveal that Torres and his wife had taken Guzman in and raised him as part of their family. Despite this, Guzman harbored resentment toward his uncle.

According to prosecutors, Guzman arrived at Torres’ home that day, and while they were alone, he shot Torres repeatedly in the face and upper body, leaving him to die.

The crime was discovered later that day when Torres’ wife became alarmed after failing to reach him. Torres had not picked her or their children up from work and school, as was his routine.

Concerned, she contacted Torres’ mother, who drove her and the children home. There, they found Torres’ lifeless body lying in a pool of blood, unresponsive and cold to the touch.

Prosecutors allege that Guzman fled the scene in his vehicle. Surveillance footage captured his distinctive limp, caused by a foot ailment, as he left. Guzman’s aunt told investigators that he owned a gun and struggled with anger management issues.

Harris County Sheriff’s deputies tracked Guzman down using information about his escape vehicle and arrested him on Sunday. He was charged with murder and is being held on a $200,000 bond. A judge has ordered that Guzman have no contact with his family if he is released on bail.

Jose Torres, a dispatcher for the Spring Branch Independent School District Police Department, was mourned by his colleagues and community.

In a statement shared on Facebook, the department described Torres as a devoted family man who worked tirelessly to provide for his wife and two daughters. “He was taken from us by a senseless act of violence while he worked to make a better life for his family,” the statement read.

The tragedy has shocked neighbors, some of whom recalled seeing Torres trimming trees outside his home shortly before the murder. “He was by himself,” said Sheldon Bolmar, a local resident.

MORE STORIES

• Pennsylvania Man Fatally Stabbed Girlfriend Because He Hated Her Haircut
• Texas Woman Waiting for Autograph Shoots Singer in the Chest After Performance
• North Carolina Man Who Allegedly Poisoned Wife, Daughter With Visine Gets Bail Revoked

Guzman, who has no prior criminal record, waived his initial court appearance over the weekend. His next court date is scheduled for Tuesday, where the case will continue to unfold.