by | Published
NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — A 52-year-old New Braunfels man has been sentenced to prison following his conviction for violently attacking a woman after she confronted him about sexually abusing her daughter, legal officials announced.
Marcos Gallegos, 52, was sentenced on June 29, 2026, by visiting Judge Edna Salinas. A Comal County jury found Gallegos guilty of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Assault Family Violence by Impeding Breath or Circulation.
Judge Salinas handed down a 15-year prison sentence for the aggravated assault count and an 8-year sentence for the strangulation count. Because a deadly weapon was used during the commission of the offense, Texas law requires Gallegos to serve at least half of his sentence before he becomes eligible for parole.
The investigation was initiated by officers with the New Braunfels Police Department after receiving a 911 call reporting a domestic violence incident and the sexual assault of a child.
According to evidence presented in court, the victim’s mother called emergency services after her daughter disclosed that Gallegos had attempted to sexually assault her. When the mother confronted Gallegos regarding the allegation, he launched a physical attack against her.
Prosecutors showed that Gallegos threw the woman to the floor, stomped on her chest, kicked her in the face with a boot, and choked her by the throat for nearly a minute, causing visible neck injuries and leaving her unable to breathe. At the time of the assault, the woman was wearing a medical heart monitoring device, which Gallegos was aware of. During a subsequent interview with law enforcement, the victim began receiving calls from her physician triggered by emergency alerts from her heart monitor during the attack.
During trial proceedings, the jury learned that Gallegos had already been convicted by a separate Comal County jury on two counts of Indecency with a Child by Contact stemming from the child's disclosure.
The prosecution also introduced evidence and text messages establishing a long-standing pattern of severe emotional, psychological, and physical abuse. Medical records presented to the jury documented previous hospitalizations caused by Gallegos, which the victim had originally hidden from medical staff out of fear and a desire to protect her abuser.
"Gallegos is a violent man who preys on vulnerable women and children... [The victim] had endured prior incidents of abuse, was trapped in a cycle of violence, loved Gallegos, and wanted to protect him, and he took advantage of that, " said Assistant District Attorney Cassandra Guajard.
The case was investigated by the New Braunfels Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Cassandra Guajardo, Sammy McCrary, and Joshua Lopez. They were supported by District Attorney Investigator Brian Kempker and Victim Assistance Coordinators Taylor Perovich and Dana Leopold.
