SAN ANTONIO – A man charged with neglecting his bedridden mother until she died from lack of care was sentenced to 30 years in prison per a plea deal.
Juan Santos Huerta in May pleaded no contest to the charge of injury to the elderly and accepted a plea deal.
Maria Huerta, 74, died in September 2021 and was found in an emaciated state.
According to an arrest affidavit, Maria Huerta had several skin ulcers that nearly exposed the bone underneath. Her bed was soiled with bodily fluids.
Juan Huerta told deputies he knew for months that his mother had maggots in her wounds. “God put them there,” he said.
The affidavit states he knew about her large wounds for about 6 to 12 months and didn’t get any care for her.
Last year, Huerta was found incompetent to stand trial but competency was eventually restored.
In court Friday, Huerta’s attorney told the judge he believed he should get deferred adjudication as his sentence because he had no criminal history and had remorse for how his mother died.
Judge Catherine Torres-Stahl denied that request and did not hold back when she sentenced him.
“This is probably one of the most egregious cases I’ve ever seen,” Torres-Stahl said. “This was your mother. I think you deserve every single one of those 30 years.”
According to court records, Huerta still has a Medicaid fraud charge pending related to this case. He allegedly stole between $30,000 and $150,000 in his mother’s healthcare provider checks.
The Texas Office of the Attorney General said for more than three years, Huerta was employed as Maria Huerta’s PCA but failed to provide her with medical care for injuries that led to her death.