[TX] Before murder-suicide, Rosa didn't want her police officer husband to be reported for abusing her

...[San Juan Texas Police Officer ] Jose "Joe" Hernandez fatally shot his wife, Rosa Maria, once in the upper chest and then turned his San Juan police-issued pistol on himself... "He would hit her and he would pull out his issued gun from San Juan Police Department and tell her not to leave," [Rosa Maria’s son-in-law Jose] Estrada said. Rosa Maria, 46, told her family about the beatings her new husband gave her — the couple married in February — but she refused to report him to police... Relatives said the woman did not want authorities to find out about the abuse, so they did not speak up... [San Juan Police Chief Juan] Gonzalez said he does not dispute Rosa Maria’s relatives’ claims that they knew Hernandez had beaten her... If someone knows of an ongoing domestic abuse situation involving a police officer or anyone else, that person should speak out about it, Gonzalez said. "This department does not tolerate it," he said... "Officers themselves are not immune to domestic violence," Gonzalez said. "We do want to encourage everybody to report abuse that may be happening by our officers or any department. It is something that needs to be reported"...

ROSA MARIA CASTILLO
(February 12, 1963 - October 6, 2009)
The Monitor
Published October 7 to October 8, 2009
SAN JUAN - Rosa Maria Castillo, 46, died Tuesday, October 6, 2009 in San Juan. Born in Mante, Tamps., Mexico, Mrs. Castillo had lived in San Juan most of her life... Funeral services are under the direction of Memorial Funeral Home in San Juan. [LINK]

Visit Rosa Maria Castillo Guest Book

CONFLICTING REPORTS ON MURDER SUICIDE INVESTIGATION
krgv.com
Reported by: Stephanie Stone
Email: Stephanie@krgv.com
Last Update: 10/07 6:43 pm
SAN JUAN - The official investigation continues into Tuesday's murder suicide involving a San Juan Police Officer. 60-year-old Jose Hernandez and 46-year-old Rosa Maria Hernandez were found dead in their apartment. Justice of the Peace Rosa Trevino says Rosa was shot once in the upper chest, and Jose had a gunshot wound on his right temple... [Full article here]

POLICE: OFFICER FATALLY SHOT WIFE, COMMITTED SUICIDE
The Monitor
Jared Taylor
October 08, 2009 10:18 PM
SAN JUAN — Preliminary autopsy results confirm a veteran policeman shot his wife in a murder-suicide this week. Jose "Joe" Hernandez fatally shot his wife, Rosa Maria, once in the upper chest and then turned his San Juan police-issued pistol on himself, the city’s Police Chief Juan Gonzalez said Thursday... Gonzalez said he has reviewed Officer Hernandez’s history with the department and found no indication the man may have battered his wife... Still, Gonzalez said he does not dispute Rosa Maria’s relatives’ claims that they knew Hernandez had beaten her. Relatives said the woman did not want authorities to find out about the abuse, so they did not speak up. "Just because it wasn’t reported doesn’t mean it did not happen," Gonzalez said. Because the preliminary autopsy indicates Hernandez killed his wife, the eight-year San Juan police veteran will not receive honors from the department at his funeral, the chief said. Gonzalez emphasized he maintains a zero-tolerance policy for domestic violence. The department conducts its own investigations into the matter and dismisses the officer in question if police find evidence to back up domestic violence claims. If someone knows of an ongoing domestic abuse situation involving a police officer or anyone else, that person should speak out about it, Gonzalez said. "This department does not tolerate it," he said... [Full article here]

UNREPORTED HISTORY OF DOMESTIC ABUSE IN SAN JUAN POLICEMAN'S MURDER-SUICIDE
The Monitor
Jared Taylor
October 07, 2009 8:25 AM
...Officers found policeman Jose "Joe" Hernandez and his wife, Rosa Maria, dead on the floor of his apartment at 3901 N. Raul Longoria Road, No. 4, shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday. A neighbor told the property’s landlord that they tried to check on the couple, but no one would answer the door. The landlord called police. San Juan police requested that the Texas Rangers lead the murder-suicide investigation. "We are going to continue the investigation," San Juan Police Chief Juan Gonzalez said. "Nothing will be left unturned." More than a dozen relatives gathered outside the apartment while authorities worked the crime scene throughout the afternoon Tuesday. Rosa Maria’s son-in-law, Jose Estrada, said he found out about the shooting just after noon. When Estrada learned his in-laws were dead, he "knew it was a murder-suicide." - "He would hit her and he would pull out his issued gun from San Juan Police Department and tell her not to leave," Estrada said. Rosa Maria, 46, told her family about the beatings her new husband gave her — the couple married in February — but she refused to report him to police. "She would say, ‘No, I love him,’" Estrada said. "We would just let her be. She was starting a new life"... He was a San Juan Municipal Court bailiff, had been an officer in the city for more than eight years and had nearly 23 years of experience as a peace officer at other local law enforcement agencies. "He served in this department as a role model to mentor to other officers," said Gonzalez, the San Juan police chief. But "no matter how strong a person is, no matter how much he values his statements, when a person finds himself in a vulnerable state of mind, all he needs is a weapon"... Police had received no formal complaints from Rosa Maria or her loved ones in the months leading up to her slaying. "Officers themselves are not immune to domestic violence," Gonzalez said. "We do want to encourage everybody to report abuse that may be happening by our officers or any department. It is something that needs to be reported"... [Full article here]
[police officer, officer-involved, domestic violence, law enforcement, fatality, fatalities, murder-suicide, policy, texas state noncooperative]