EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – An El Paso man accused of killing another man inside a West El Paso home admitted to pushing, slapping and kicking the victim during a physical altercation, according to a newly filed police affidavit.
Jail records show a murder suspect was arrested after El Paso police responded Tuesday, August 18, to a report of an “unknown problem” in the 6800 block of Villa Hermosa Drive in West El Paso.
John Michael De Coste is facing charges of murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence involving a human corpse. The arrest affidavit for De Coste identified the murder victim as John Doe, who police say is presumed to be David Edward De Coste. El Paso police publicly confirmed the victim’s identity as 59-year-old Davide Edward De Coste in a news release sent out Thursday morning. According to a LinkedIn account, David De Coste retired as a detective from the El Paso Police Department in 2015. The police department confirmed his employment history.
John De Coste (El Paso Police Department)
KTSM was on the scene as police took a man into custody following an hourslong SWAT standoff in the 6800 block of Villa Hermosa Drive.
A police spokeswoman told reporters police later discovered a deceased person and two people who had barricaded themselves inside the home.
After an hourslong SWAT standoff, two individuals came out of the home at 6836 Villa Hermosa Drive “unharmed.” KTSM crews at the scene saw a man being taken into custody and a woman being taken away on a stretcher.
Court documents noted that the alleged killing occurred sometime between Aug. 4 and Aug. 7 at 6836 Villa Hermosa Drive.
Police arrested the 29-year-old murder suspect on Tuesday following a report from a neighbor who noticed the garage door had been open for several days and reported a strong foul odor coming from the residence.
When officers arrived, they saw the partially open garage door and smelled the odor. Officers entered the home while conducting a safety sweep and found a body wrapped in plastic inside the garage, according to the affidavit.
Officers also heard what they believed was a voice coming from inside the residence. After the El Paso Police Department’s SWAT team was called to the scene and officers issued multiple commands, a woman identified as Idalia De La Torre came out of the home.
Idalia De La Torre (El Paso Police Department)
Jail records show De La Torre was booked on Wednesday, August 19, and charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence involving a human corpse.
Investigators interviewed De La Torre and De Coste, according to the affidavit.
De La Torre told investigators she began living with De Coste and the victim on Aug. 2. She said she and the victim had kissed several times while De Coste was away from the home.
On an unknown date, the victim entered De La Torre’s bedroom and began kissing her, according to her statement. John Michael De Coste then entered the room and saw the two kissing.
The affidavit says an argument followed and escalated into a physical fight in the victim’s bedroom. De La Torre told investigators she did not witness the fight and did not participate in the assault.
She said the following day David Edward De Coste appeared different and was possibly dead.
According to the affidavit, De La Torre told investigators De Coste did not want to call police because he had an active warrant. She said De Coste later ordered a body bag from Amazon.
De La Torre told police she and De Coste put the victim’s body inside the bag and moved it to the garage. She also said she used several cleaning products to clean the floor where the body had been, according to the affidavit.
The murder suspect provided investigators with a similar account of the events leading up to the victim’s death, but admitted to assaulting him.
De Coste told investigators that sometime between Aug. 4 and Aug. 7, at about 4:30 p.m., he was showering when he came out and saw the victim on top of De La Torre, kissing her.
De Coste said the victim was highly intoxicated. When confronted, the victim said he was going to retrieve a gun from his bedroom, according to the affidavit.
De Coste said he followed the victim into the bedroom and saw him attempting to retrieve a handgun. De Coste told investigators he pushed the victim, causing him to fall and hit his head.
He then admitted to slapping and kicking the victim several times while the man was on the ground and “flailing his arms,” according to the affidavit.
De Coste said the victim eventually became tired and stopped fighting. He said the victim grabbed a pillow, lay down on the floor and appeared to go to sleep.
De Coste told investigators he periodically checked on the victim throughout the night and heard him snoring. The next morning, he said he found the victim lifeless.
Police said De Coste told investigators he was afraid to contact emergency services or police because he had an active warrant.
The affidavit says De Coste acknowledged that he became “angry and enraged” after seeing the victim kissing De La Torre and said he did not remember exactly how he assaulted the victim.
He also told investigators that burying the body in the desert crossed his mind, according to the affidavit.
An autopsy found the victim suffered blunt-force trauma injuries, including a right subdural skull fracture, according to the affidavit.
Preliminary autopsy findings listed the manner of death as homicide.
A warrant was issued for De Coste in September 2023 on a charge for continuous violence against the family.
Police accused John De Coste of punching David De Coste about six times in the face and head, according to an affidavit. The affidavit also says John De Coste had previously been arrested in an earlier family-violence case involving the murder victim.
John De Coste later pleaded guilty to continuous violence against the family and was placed on three years of deferred adjudication community supervision.
John De Coste was still on community supervision when David De Coste was found dead Tuesday..
John De Coste is being held without bond on the murder charge. Idalia De La Torre’s bond is set at $150,000.
Both suspects’ bond hearings are scheduled for Friday, August 20.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.