Jury convicts Jesus Prado in two aggravated-assault cases; court imposes concurrent 60-year terms

A jury found Jesus Prado guilty of aggravated assault against a public servant in two separate causes, and the court imposed concurrent 60-year prison terms with no fine, the court announced during a post-trial hearing.

The court read the jury verdict forms in causes 2023CR11452 and 2023CR11453, stating, "We, the jury, find the defendant Jesus Prado guilty of the offense of aggravated assault against a public servant as charged in the indictment," and noting the findings were "in accordance with his guilty plea." The court then recited the jury's punishment assessments: for each cause the jury assessed confinement in the institutional division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for a term of 60 years and no fine.

The verdicts were presented as unanimous by the panel. The court told the jury to return to the jury room after announcing the verdicts and asked whether either side objected to proceeding with sentencing; no objections were recorded.

The court said it would "follow the jury's verdict," order the sentences to run concurrently, and give Prado credit for any time served. The court also recorded an affirmative finding of a deadly weapon in each cause and reminded Prado that, as felony convictions, he is not allowed to own or possess weapons or ammunition.

The court confirmed that Prado had reviewed and signed the trial-court certifications of his rights to appeal with his attorney and explained that he retained the right to appeal from his convictions and punishments. The court asked whether there was any victim-impact statement; none was presented, and the clerk was instructed to close the record.

Addressing Prado directly toward the end of the hearing, the court acknowledged the length of the sentences and offered a brief remark: "I know 60 years is a lot, but you still have your life," and closed the proceeding by wishing him luck.