This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Santiago Esparza, 30, has been charged with tampering with evidence, namely a human corpse, in the death of his girlfriend’s 5-year-old daughter, Sierra Patino, who was found dead in a closet on Labor Day. Priscilla Torres, the girl’s mother, faced the same charge earlier this week.

In this Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019, photo provided by the Houston Police Department is Priscilla Torres, who is being held in Harris County jail in Houston. Torres, the mother of a 5-year-old girl whose body was found in a Houston apartment closet was charged Tuesday with evidence tampering, police said. Investigators are waiting on the results of an autopsy to determine how her daughter Sierra Patino died. (Houston Police Department via AP)

A Houston man who stuffed the dead body of his girlfriend's 5-year-old daughter in an apartment closet has been sentenced to prison, authorities said.

A jury last week convicted Santiago Esparza, 32, of tampering with evidence, namely a human corpse, in hiding the body of Sierra Patino, court documents show. On Tuesday,  Harris County 351st District Judge Natalia Cornelio sentenced him to 40 years in prison.

Sierra's body was found on Sept. 2, 2019 after two relatives visited the couple's northwest Houston apartment after they hadn't seen the girl in a few days, according to authorities. The girl's body had been decomposing for days and was wrapped in blankets inside of a closet while the apartment's air conditioning was set so high that the temperature inside was 45 degrees.

TRENDING: Two arrested after alleged road rage shooting in north Harris County, sheriff says

That same week, both Esparza and Sierra's mother, 30-year-old Priscilla Torres, were arrested and  charged with tampering with evidence, namely a corpse.

Torres has given different accounts about what happened to her daughter, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

She initially told investigators that she was giving Sierra a bath and had stepped out for a few minutes before returning to find toilet-bowl cleaner floating in the tub with the girl, the agency said in a news release. 

She then said Esparza gave the child a bath while she cooked dinner and when she checked on the girl, the child had chemical burns, bruising and redness on her face.

Torres' case is still pending and she is currently out on $25,000 bail, according to court records. She is scheduled to appear in front of a judge again on Aug. 5.

More on Crime: Judge agrees to sign execution order for Houston killer but seeks to push back death date

Assistant District Attorney Gilbert Sawtelle, who prosecuted the case and is in charge of the Harris County District Attorney's Office Child Fatality Section, said Esparza was the mastermind in the plan to hide the dead girl's body.

“They concealed the body through a variety of different ways, like sight, smell and physical access,” Sawtelle said. “They worked together for six days, but he was the one calling the shots and she was easily manipulated.”

Esparza's lawyer, Diana Simms, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. 

Because Sierra's remains were decomposed, the Harris County medical examiner could not determine the cause of death and prosecutors could not pursue a murder charge, the district attorney's office said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Execution date nears for ex-Missouri City cop convicted in wife’s murder-for-hire killing

Esparza, who prosecutors say is a known member of the Tango Blast street gang, has been previously convicted of hurting and endangering children, court records show.

In 2007, Esparza pleaded guilty to striking a child under the age of 15 “with an unknown object,” “grabbing (him) with his hand” and “throwing (him) against an unknown object,” according to court documents. He went to prison for four years for that conviction, court records show.

In 2015, Esparza drove off in a truck with a 5-month-old baby unsecured on his lap after a fight with his ex-girlfriend, court filings say. Esparza ran a red light and collided with another car, according to the documents. He pleaded guilty to the charge and served 180 days in jail, according to court records.

He also had been convicted of two counts of assault causing bodily injury, assaulting a family member and evading arrest, among other charges.

- Texans player denies breaking into woman's home to commit assault

- Lawyer for Arlene Alvarez's family wants DA's office to try again after grand jury no-bill

- Harris County DA calls Houston man's conviction a 'disaster' after drug setup by HPD's Gerald Goines

- Houston man, 75, found dead in Big Bend National Park

- Family of man killed by Harris County sergeant ‘livid’ after watching body cam footage

Joel Umanzor is a Hearst fellow working for the Houston Chronicle's Metro desk as a breaking news reporter

Originally from Richmond, California, he graduated from San Francisco State in 2021.

When not in the newsroom or chasing down a source, he can be found painting, listening to Hip-Hop or watching sports.

Before the world knew Brittney Griner as the WNBA star at the center of an international scandal, Houston knew her as a local basketball phenom.