Harris County Grand Jury To Hear Evidence This Week In Denny’s Beating Death

HOUSTON, TX — The Harris County District Attorney’s Office will be presenting evidence to a grand jury this week in the case involving the beating death of a 24-year old man outside of a Denny’s restaurant on May 28.

Tom Berg, First Assistant District Attorney for the Harris County DA’s Office said during a press conference that the case would be presented to a grand jury before the end of the week. (Want to get daily updates about traffic news and other events going on in your area? Sign up for the free Houston Patch morning newsletter.)

“Every aspect of John Hernandez’s death will be presented to a grand jury,” Berg said. “We want to gather as much evidence as possible to present to them.”

Some of that evidence could involve video leased earlier this week that showed the fight, and raised a lot of questions, and fueled the call for justice.

Hernandez died three days after being involved in a fight outside a Denny’s restaurant in the 17700 block of Crosby Freeway with Terry Thompson, the husband of Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Chauna Thompson.

Deputy Thompson arrived after the fight began and tried tohelp her husband subdue Hernandez.

Meanwhile, the announcement by the Harris County DA’s Office on Wednesday came a day after the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Hernandez’s death as a homicide, as a result of anoxic encephalopathy due to strangulation with chest compression.

Read Also: Coroner Rules Death Of Man Killed In Denny’s Fight A Homicide

Earlier, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said he had full confidence in the investigation conducted by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in the case, KPRC reported.

“We want justice for Juan Hernandez, and we want justice for the Thompson’s as well,” Berg said. “This has to be done right...it needs to be done quickly, but it needs to be done deliberately too, so we don’t rush to justice.”

Berg said the case from the beginning was atypical, and that it came to investigators in bits and pieces rather than with cut and dry evidence.

As a result, Berg said the prosecutor’s office made a tactical decision to gather all the evidence, and conduct the investigation as transparently as possible so that the case could be brought to a grand jury.

“We will show no favoritism. We will let the chips fall where they may with the grand jury,” Berg said. “The grand jury will make its call, and we will pursue anybody the grand jury instructs us to, by way of an indictment.”

Image: Shutterstock

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