EL PASO, TEXAS — A West El Paso homicide case took a dramatic turn this week after officers uncovered a decomposing body wrapped in plastic inside a residential garage, leading to the arrest of a 29-year-old man on murder charges.
How the Discovery Unfolded
El Paso Police Department officers were dispatched to a home in the 6800 block of Villa Hermosa Drive on Tuesday, August 18, after receiving a call describing an “unknown problem” at the address. The report came from a concerned neighbor who had noticed the garage door standing open for multiple days and detected an overpowering smell coming from the property.
Responding officers immediately noticed the same partially raised garage door and foul odor upon arrival. While performing a routine safety check of the residence, they discovered a body sealed in plastic wrapping stored inside the garage.
During the search, officers picked up sounds suggesting someone was still inside the house. That triggered a call for SWAT support, and after a lengthy standoff involving repeated commands from officers, a woman later identified as Idalia De La Torre exited the home. Both De La Torre and a second occupant were removed from the scene without injury — De La Torre was later seen being transported on a stretcher, while the man was placed in police custody.
The Suspects and Charges
John Michael De Coste now faces formal charges of murder along with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence tied to a human corpse. According to arrest documents, investigators initially listed the victim as a John Doe believed to be David Edward De Coste. Police confirmed Thursday that the deceased was indeed 59-year-old David Edward De Coste, who, according to professional networking records, had spent years working as a detective for the El Paso Police Department before retiring in 2015 — a detail the department verified.
De La Torre, meanwhile, was booked into custody Wednesday on the evidence-tampering charge.
What Investigators Say Happened
Court filings indicate the killing took place sometime between August 4 and August 7 at the Villa Hermosa Drive address.
During questioning, De La Torre explained that she had moved into the home with both men on August 2. She described a romantic encounter that developed between herself and the victim while De Coste was not present, telling detectives the two had kissed on more than one occasion.
She recounted one specific incident in which the victim came into her room and kissed her — only for De Coste to walk in and witness the moment. That confrontation, according to the affidavit, spiraled into a violent altercation in the victim’s bedroom. De La Torre maintains she wasn’t present for the physical fight and had no part in it.
The next day, she said, the victim’s condition had visibly changed, and she suspected he might have died. She told police De Coste refused to contact authorities because of an outstanding warrant against him, and that he instead purchased a body bag through Amazon. The two of them, she said, placed the body in the bag, carried it to the garage, and she subsequently scrubbed the bedroom floor with cleaning supplies to erase evidence of what had happened.
De Coste’s Version of Events
De Coste’s account largely matched De La Torre’s timeline but included his admission to physically attacking the victim. He told investigators that after stepping out of the shower, he found the visibly intoxicated victim on top of De La Torre, kissing her. When he confronted the man, the victim allegedly threatened to grab a firearm from his room.
De Coste said he followed him and, seeing the victim reaching for a handgun, shoved him to the ground, where his head struck the floor. He then confessed to slapping and kicking the victim multiple times as the man lay on the ground trying to defend himself. Eventually, De Coste said, the victim stopped resisting, grabbed a pillow, and appeared to drift off to sleep.
Throughout the night, De Coste claimed he checked on the man periodically and heard him snoring — only to discover him unresponsive the following morning. He again cited fear of arrest over his active warrant as the reason he never called for help.
The affidavit notes De Coste admitted growing “angry and enraged” upon witnessing the kiss, and said his memory of the actual assault was unclear. He also acknowledged briefly considering burying the body in the desert.
Autopsy Findings
A preliminary autopsy determined the victim died from blunt-force trauma, including a fractured skull on the right side. Medical examiners have classified the death as a homicide.
A History of Violence Between the Two
Records show this wasn’t the first violent incident between the two men. In September 2023, a warrant was issued against John De Coste after he allegedly struck David De Coste roughly six times in the face and head — a case that also referenced a prior family-violence arrest involving the same victim. De Coste ultimately pleaded guilty to continuous violence against a family member and was sentenced to three years of deferred adjudication supervision.
Notably, he remained under that community supervision at the time David De Coste’s body was discovered.
Current Status
John Michael De Coste is being held without the option of bond on the murder charge. Idalia De La Torre’s bond has been set at $150,000. Bond hearings for both defendants were scheduled for Friday, August 20.