The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office announced that 43-year-old Jorge Delatorre has been sentenced to multiple prison terms totaling 15 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice following a shocking case that involved both domestic violence and animal cruelty.
Delatorre was convicted of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Assault Family Member by Impeding Breath/Circulation, and two counts of Abandoning or Endangering a Child. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Christy May and Matthew Staton.
A violent confrontation
According to court records, on August 12, 2024, Johnson County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a home in the 4600 block of County Road 806 after Delatorre’s wife called 911. She told dispatchers that her husband was armed and trying to kill her. Deputies arrived to find the woman hiding in tall grass near the property with her young son. Two of her other children were still inside the home with Delatorre at the time.
When deputies were able to safely remove the children, they learned disturbing details about what had occurred before the call for help.
The argument and killing of the horse
Earlier that day, the wife and her children had returned home from shopping. One of the children told deputies they had discussed moving out due to ongoing family conflict. When Delatorre overheard the conversation, he reportedly became enraged and began threatening his wife and children, telling them that if they tried to leave, he would kill them all.
According to the affidavit, Delatorre asked his wife what she planned to do with one of the family’s horses if she left. When she told him the horse was his, Delatorre retrieved a firearm, later identified as a Smith & Wesson revolver, walked outside, and shot the horse in the head.
Witnesses told investigators that after the horse fell, Delatorre used a chainsaw to cut off the horse’s head and legs, then opened the animal’s stomach and removed its entrails. He reportedly placed the body parts into a large galvanized water trough. Investigators say Delatorre even attempted to persuade one of his children to record the gruesome act on video, but the child refused.
Threats against his wife
After dismembering the horse, Delatorre returned to the house, grabbed his wife by the hair, and pressed the revolver against her neck, threatening to kill her “just like he did the horse,” according to the affidavit. The woman managed to flee the house and call 911 while hiding outside with one of her children.
Responding deputies arrested Delatorre at the scene. He was charged and later indicted on multiple felony counts, including domestic violence-related offenses and endangerment of children due to the incident occurring in front of the minors.
Sentencing and aftermath
Following a trial, Delatorre was sentenced to 15 years in prison for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, 10 years for Assault Family Member by Impeding Breath/Circulation, and two additional convictions for Abandoning or Endangering a Child. The sentences will run concurrently.
In a statement, the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office thanked responding deputies for their quick actions that protected the victims and prevented further harm. Prosecutors described the case as “one of the most disturbing examples of domestic violence and cruelty witnessed in recent years.”
Delatorre will serve his time in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
