Murder charges have been filed against a former Bexar County deputy after a Bexar County inmate was found dead.
According to KSAT, a 20-year-old jailer named Clemente Lopez was taken into custody on Friday. Lopez allowed three inmates to enter another prisoner’s cell, leading to an assault that resulted in the inmate’s death.
The arrest affidavit details that Francisco Bazan, age 46, was attacked after inmates instructed Lopez to unlock Bazan’s cell. Upon opening the door, Lopez cautioned the inmates by saying, “Don’t make it bad.” Despite this, Lopez observed the trio kicking Bazan in the face and striking his head against the concrete floor.
“Lopez was observing the entire assault from outside the jail cell,” the warrant states.
Bazan was discovered in his cell without consciousness. Medical efforts to revive him were unsuccessful, and he was declared dead early Wednesday. An autopsy revealed that internal bleeding from a “blunt force injury to the torso” caused Bazan’s death, which has been classified as a homicide, as reported by KENS5.
During the Texas Rangers’ investigation, an inmate said the dispute was due to Bazan “failing to pay” money he owed his cellmate. The attack on Bazan was described as “a coordinated effort” between his cellmate and two other inmates, the arrest affidavit said.
Lopez, who had been employed at the detention center since August 17, 2023, admitted to “allowing these types of assaults” in the past, according to the arrest affidavit.
Records show that Lopez’s bond was set at $500,000.
[Feature Photo via Bexar County PD]
