Man dies after beating by sheriff's deputy's husband

Larry Seward | KHOU-TV, Houston

HOUSTON — A 24-year-old father reportedly beaten by the husband of a Texas sheriff's deputy died after being taken off life support Wednesday night, the family lawyer confirmed Thursday.

Johnny Hernandez had been in the intensive care unit of a Houston hospital where he was declared brain dead.

Late Sunday night, Hernandez's family stopped at a Denny's restaurant in Crosby, Texas, in east Harris County. Hernandez was drunk after celebrating his beloved Chivas soccer team's victory, his wife said. She insisted he have coffee.

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Instead, surveillance cameras showed Hernandez walking outside with his wife trying to stop him. She said her husband urinated near their vehicle.

Hernandez's wife is not being named as she was too afraid to show her face in an on-camera interview.

Another man, whose wife is a Harris County (Texas) Sheriff's deputy, was outside Denny's with his children and confronted Hernandez about his behavior. Video showed the two men scuffling.

People ran outside while Hernandez’s wife and 3-year-old daughter watched and screamed.

“She was crying and telling (the man beating Hernandez) stop and he didn’t even stop,” Hernandez’s wife said. “I told him please stop. Don’t do that to him. He’s drunk. He wasn’t in any position to fight. But, he didn’t have any compassion. He was really angry.”

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Hernandez’s wife claims deputies took her cellphone then led her away for interviews. Three days later, her husband was still in intensive care before he was eventually taken off life support.

The report given to the family called the man who beat Hernandez the victim.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Harris County Sheriff's Office said the matter is under investigation.

According to the statement, "Deputies were told that a 41-year-old male, accompanied by his children, pulled into the restaurant parking lot, where they observed a 24-year-old male urinating in public view. The 41-year-old male verbally confronted the other male about his behavior, and a physical altercation ensued."

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The sheriff's deputy, who was off-duty at the time, arrived separately to meet her family at the restaurant, the statement said. She called the sheriff's office and emergency personnel for assistance. She helped her husband restrain Hernandez.

When the deputy saw that Hernandez was not breathing, "the off-duty deputy immediately began CPR and continued until Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived," the sheriff's office statement said.

The Hernandez family wonders whether they will get justice given the other man’s connections.

“They feel that they can get it covered up because they are cops,” Hernandez’s wife said.

Follow Larry Seward on Twitter: @LSewardKHOU