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Inset: Joe Herrera (McLennan County Jail). Background: The suburban street near where Herrera allegedly stabbed his girlfriend in Waco, Tex. (Google Maps).
In a troubling incident that has shaken the community in Waco, Texas, a man was taken into custody for allegedly attacking his girlfriend with a knife. The suspect, 39-year-old Joe Herrera, faces charges of aggravated assault in connection with the violent altercation, as reported by the Waco Police Department.
The alarming events unfolded on March 3 at a home located on Colcord Avenue in Waco, a city nestled approximately 100 miles northwest of Austin. Law enforcement officers rushed to the scene following an urgent 911 call reporting a stabbing in progress.
Upon arrival, authorities were met with a chaotic scene. A large window at the front of the house was shattered, and Herrera was found outside in the yard, his shirt stained with blood. According to the arrest affidavit, obtained by local news affiliates CBS and Telemundo station KWTX, Herrera was quickly identified as the individual accused of using the knife during the assault.
This distressing case underscores the ongoing challenges of domestic violence and its profound impact on families and communities. As investigations continue, the incident has sparked conversations about the importance of addressing and preventing family-related violence.
At the scene, responding officers found a large window broken out of the front of the house and the defendant standing in the front yard with blood on his shirt, according to the charging document. Police ascertained Herrera was the person accused of wielding the knife.
The victim then told police Herrera stabbed or “stuck” her in the chest multiple times with the tip of a paring knife before she was finally able to lock him outside of the residence, according to the affidavit.
Officers noted physical injuries on the woman said to be consistent with her account and photographed those injuries, police said.
The defendant allegedly told police he was trying to force his way back into the house because he saw his girlfriend naked inside with a man he did not recognize. Herrera also admitted to breaking the window and said that when he did so, he saw an unknown Black man run away from the house on foot, according to the affidavit.
Investigators, however, said there was no evidence another man was inside the residence. Rather, Herrera’s narrative of the events likely stemmed from paranoia after apparently seeing his girlfriend without pants through the window and him then jumping to the conclusion she had another man with her, police said.
The violence is believed to have occurred roughly two to five minutes before Herrera was locked out, according to the affidavit.
The incident is said to be evidence of a trend.
Herrera “seems to be fixated” on the idea his girlfriend is cheating on him, according to the affidavit. Law enforcement learned that many of the arguments between the couple have involved the man wanting to go through the woman’s cellphone and objecting to her going places without his knowledge, police said.
In the affidavit, a detective also wrote that the defendant has a history of being convicted for domestic violence offenses.
Herrera was arrested earlier this week and booked in the McLennan County Jail on $20,000 bond. He is no longer on the jail’s inmate roster as of this writing, and the McLennan County court system has yet to docket his case.