The office of District Attorney Micheal Murray issued the following press release Thursday:
On Wednesday, Oct. 19, Juan Manuel Santiago Negron, 20, was convicted of Aggravated Robbery, Burglary of a Habitation, Cruelty to a Non-Livestock Animal, and Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle in the 35th Judicial District Court of Brown County. Judge Sam Moss sentenced Negron to serve 40 years in prison.
The sentence followed a full-day punishment trial in which Negron pled guilty to breaking into a Brownwood home with two other men on Jan. 30, 2020. While in the home, the three robbed an elderly woman at gunpoint. When the victim’s dog began barking, Negron stabbed the dog six times with a pocket knife. The woman was injured when one of the men struck her in the head with a handgun.
Justin Taylor, the first Brownwood Police officer on scene, and Kimberley Holland, the detective who investigated the case, both testified at the trial. The three were arrested that same night after Holland followed their footprints in the dew to Negron’s home. The knife and firearm were both found hidden beneath a dryer in the home.
The victim’s daughter testified about the trauma caused by the robbery, and how it continues to impact their family to this day. One of Negron’s co-defendants, Octavian Torrez, testified to explains their plans that day and how Negron stabbed the dog and struck the victim in the head with a pistol. Torrez is currently serving a 20-year prison sentenced for his role in the robbery
Negron’s attorney cited his psychiatric issues and his difficult childhood as mitigating the crime, and asked the Judge for probation. Judge Moss denied the request and sentenced Negron to 40 years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for Aggravated Robbery and Burglary of a Habitation, as well as the maximum of 10 years for Cruelty to a Non-Livestock Animal and the maximum of 2 years for Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle. Negron will not be eligible for parole until he completes the first 20 years of his sentence.