Man accused of murdering inmate in Bexar County Jail allegedly attacked others, affidavit says

SAN ANTONIO – A man accused of murdering another inmate at the Bexar County Jail allegedly attacked several other inmates, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

On Tuesday afternoon, 62-year-old inmate Jose Barrera was found dead in prison.

According to online court records, 28-year-old Anthony Chase McGruder is charged with murder in connection with his death.

According to the affidavit, Texas Rangers investigating Barrera's death were notified of another suspected attack on inmates nearly an hour after he was pronounced dead.

Eight inmates, including McGruder and Barrera, were in a cell at the prison.

McGruder admitted to investigators that he “killed a man,” the affidavit states.

After speaking with McGruder, investigators learned from another inmate that McGruder had been observed earlier in the day hitting Barrera with a sandal and later choking him with a sheet, the affidavit states.

One inmate described McGruder as “a person who causes problems in the cell,” the affidavit states. The same inmate claimed McGruder choked him with a towel, causing him to bleed from the nose and lose consciousness.

The affidavit noted that McGruder had previously been arrested four times for assault and once for assault on an elderly person.

BCSO jail staff said McGruder continued to be aggressive and unpredictable even after the incident, the affidavit states.

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