On August 14, 2019, an Atascosa County jury convicted Irving Echeveria-Gutierrez of Aggravated Kidnapping. The jury heard evidence that on April 4, 2018, the Defendant and his co-defendant drove from Temple to Pleasanton, where Gutierrez and his co-defendant kicked in the door of Sylvia Casias, who was home with her 8 grandchildren. Armed with two 9mm handguns and an AR-15 with 50 rounds of ammunition, the defendants demanded money, drugs, and jewelry. When Mrs. Casias failed to give the defendant and his partner those things, Mrs. Casias was kidnapped at gun point, and told the family would have to pay.
A family member was able to assist deputies with using Mrs. Casias’s find my iPhone feature to track her phone and approximately an hour later, the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office was able to stop the car she was being held in near Seguin and recover her safely.
Evidence was also heard that this defendant was from Mexico and was in this country illegally.
The jury sentenced the defendant to 18 years in prison where he will have to serve at least half of his sentence before being eligible for parole. He currently has a hold on him from ICE, and once released from custody, will have deal with federal immigration law in place at the time of his release.
His co-defendant bonded out of jail, did not return to court, and has an active warrant for his arrest. The United States Marshall’s Fugitive Task Force has been notified and are assisting with his apprehension.
The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank Sgt. Kevin Draughn for his fast action in locating the victim using the iPhone feature, Lt. Max Peralta for racing across town to assist in the rescue, and the investigative efforts of Major Matt Miller and the rest of the team at the Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office for putting together a solid case. Also, the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety did an amazing job locating the vehicle, stopping the car, and safely apprehending the suspects and rescuing the victim without anyone being harmed.
We thank the jury for their service, and encourage our community to continue to support the justice system by answering your jury summons and serving. It is your opportunity to decide what you believe is appropriate in cases such as this.
