Juan Velazquez received the maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to Injury to a Child by Omission, for failing to protect his daughter from severe abuse inflicted by his wife, Marisela Garcia.
Garcia, the child's stepmother, was convicted in January 2025 of physically and psychologically abusing the child over several years.
While the abuse did not result in severe bodily injury, prosecutors successfully argued that it caused severe mental injury, elevating Garcia's charges to a first-degree felony with a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Garcia's abuse included:
- Denying the child food
- Forcing the child to sleep outside in harsh weather
- Torturing the child by puncturing her palms with push pins
- Repeatedly telling the child to commit suicide
- Taking nude photos of the child and threatening to share them with men who would rape her
Garcia was sentenced to life in prison.
Although Garcia was the primary abuser, Velazquez, as the child's father, had a legal obligation to protect her. His failure to do so constituted Injury to a Child by Omission, a second-degree felony. Velazquez pleaded guilty and accepted the maximum 20-year sentence.
Velazquez also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of Injury to a Child for physically striking his daughter and received a maximum 10-year prison sentence for that offense.
The child is now living with a new family and is reportedly thriving and also in agreement with the imposed sentances.
The McLennan County Sheriff's Office, Child Protective Services, China Spring ISD Police, and the McLennan County District Attorney's Office investigated the case. Assistant District Attorneys Will Hix and Jessica Washington prosecuted it.
"Fathers are supposed to be protectors. This child's father willingly ignored his wife severely abusing his daughter for years. Texas law rightly makes that failure a crime. We are grateful that this plea closes an awful chapter in this child's life, and we hope it brings her some measure of peace," said Assistant District Attorneys Will Hix and Jessica Washington.
