The Brief
- Joe Suarez Jr., 71, was sentenced to life in prison without parole plus two consecutive 20-year terms for the continuous sexual abuse and indecency of multiple neighborhood children.
- The former San Antonio mariachi musician and truck driver used music lessons and his 18-wheeler cab to gain trust and abuse three victims, who testified against him a decade after the initial 2016 outcry.
- The case languished for years and saw a district attorney recusal before being transferred to the Texas Attorney General’s office in late 2023, leading to a reinvestigation and a 2025 indictment.
BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A 71-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison without parole after a Bexar County jury found him guilty of abusing multiple children, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office announced.
Joe Suarez Jr. sentenced
Joe Suarez Jr. was convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child and indecency with a child following a four-day trial. After four hours of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict, prompting Judge Escalona to hand down the maximum punishment allowed by law: life without parole, plus two consecutive 20-year sentences.
What they’re saying:
“My office worked tirelessly to put this child predator behind bars for life and secure justice for the victims of these heinous crimes,” Paxton said in a statement. “We are committed to standing up for victims of sexual assault and will use every tool available to us to ensure that child predators are prosecuted to the fullest extent that the law allows.”…