ELMENDORF, Texas – A Bexar County woman severely beaten outside an Elmendorf home in 2022 said prosecutors recently offered a plea deal without her consent to the man accused of attacking her.
“They need to protect us and be there for us instead of doing what they want to do,” Stephanie Flores said.
Defendant Juan Tarin, who is free on bond awaiting trial for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, is accused of using a metal go-kart pipe and his legs to repeatedly strike Flores’ body after a disagreement outside his home in October 2022, charging paperwork shows and Flores said.
“And he said specifically, ‘Turn around because I’m going to hit you in the head and kill you. And once I kill you I’m going to put you in your car, take you and burn you in it,‘” Flores said.
The attack dislodged a medical device in Flores’ stomach, causing health issues that continue more than two years after the assault, Flores said.
Flores said Tarin also pummeled her face with his fists and cut her throat with a knife before keeping her at his home for well over a week while her wounds healed.
“It got to the point where I felt my face tingling. Almost in a numb situation,” Flores said.
WARNING: Graphic images below
Flores documented her facial injuries day by day in a series of photos taken after the attack. They at first show significant swelling and discoloration around her eyes, as the bruising spreads to cover much of her face days after the incident.
“I’ve been in this business for 25-plus years and this particular case, this is the most severe case I’ve seen in my law enforcement career,” Elmendorf Police Department Chief Marco Pena said.
Pena confirmed one of Flores’ family members reported her missing to area law enforcement.
Pena then investigated the aggravated assault case after Flores reported the attack to another police agency.
When asked why Tarin was not charged with kidnapping or unlawful restraint, Pena told KSAT the felony assault charges would “hold better” if and when the case goes to trial.
‘I want justice’
Tarin was first charged in connection with the case in late March 2023, court records show.
Flores said communication issues with the DA’s office started shortly thereafter, when they failed to notify her that Tarin had bonded out of jail.
Tarin was then indicted on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in early February.
Flores said she has visited the DA’s office four to five times after staff members assigned to her case failed to return her messages.
Flores said her frustration boiled over this fall after a new prosecutor assigned to the case called and informed her that Tarin had been offered a plea deal.
Under the agreement, according to Flores, Tarin would be given an eight-year prison sentence and be required to serve a minimum of four years, but could get out earlier than that for good behavior and time served.
Flores told KSAT that she has repeatedly told the DA’s office that she wants Tarin to get the maximum punishment available for the charge.
“I want justice. I said, ‘if you cannot give me the justice that I need,’ I said, ‘I will go above and higher,’” Flores said.
In a statement, a DA spokesperson confirmed a plea deal was offered to Tarin before it was later pulled.
“Since 2023, prosecutors and victim’s advocates from our office have remained in regular contact with the victim on this case. This includes providing notice of court dates, status updates, and preparing for trial. As part of the court process, prosecutors made an [sic] plea offer which was relayed to the Defendant’s attorney and later relayed to the victim. Since no agreement could be reached, the plea offer has been revoked and the case is set for trial in February 2025,” the spokesperson said via email.
The DA’s office offered KSAT no proof that staff has remained in regular contact with Flores since last year.
Tarin has a criminal history dating back to 2000
Tarin has an arrest record in Bexar County dating back to 2000, court records confirm.
His 19 charges here include sexual assault, retaliation, terroristic threat, burglary of a habitation by force and stalking, records show.
Only four of the previous cases resulted in convictions, with Tarin being granted deferred adjudication in a fifth case, records show.
The sexual assault case and two previous aggravated assault with a deadly weapon cases were dismissed, according to court records.
Tarin, however, was sentenced to six years in prison in the 2016 retaliation case, records show.
After a court appearance last month, Tarin denied to KSAT that he beat Flores with a metal pipe.
“No, of course not. I’m not the strongest person in the world, but I do construction,” said Tarin, before his criminal defense attorney, Mae Garza, cut into the conversation and advised her client not to speak to any media.
Asked about Flores’ injuries, Garza told KSAT, “Well, they’re symmetrical right? They’re symmetrical. If you’re beating someone they’re not going to be symmetrical. I really don’t have anything to say. We need to try this in a court of law.”
Tarin is scheduled to go to trial on Feb. 3, 2025, in 399th District Court, records show.
Domestic violence resources
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, there is a long list of resources on KSAT’s Domestic Violence page which includes a breakdown of what abuse is, and how it builds gradually.
If you are in crisis, you can:
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call or text 911
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call the Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233
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call the local Family Violence Prevention Services, which runs the shelter (Crisis Number: 210-733-8810, Programs and Administration: 210-930-3669)
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call the Bexar County Family Justice Center at 210-631-0100.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.