Murder charges have been filed against a former Bexar County deputy after a Bexar County inmate was found dead.
KSAT reported that on Friday, jailer Clemente Lopez, 20, was arrested for allowing three inmates access to another inmate’s cell, which resulted in the assault and ultimately the death of the inmate.
Francisco Bazan, 46, was violently assaulted after a group of inmates “instructed Lopez to open the door” to Bazan’s cell, according to the arrest affidavit. When Lopez opened the cell, he told the inmates, “Don’t make it bad.” The three inmates were then seen by Lopez kicking Bazan in the face and smashing his head against the concrete.
“Lopez was observing the entire assault from outside the jail cell,” the warrant states.
Bazan was found in his cell unresponsive. The medical staff’s attempts to save him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead early Wednesday morning. An autopsy showed that Bazan died from internal bleeding due to “blunt force injury to the torso,” and his death was ruled a homicide, according to 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]
