2025-12-19
Amarillo man accepts lesser charge in beating death of elderly victim
AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - A judge sentenced a man to prison for the beating death of a 79-year-old man.
In February 2023, officers with Amarillo Police Department responded to a call for an assault near East Amarillo Boulevard and Wilson Street.
When the officers arrived, they found the victim, 79-year-old Quentin Voltairi, with serious injuries. First responders transported him to the hospital and officers began investigating the assault.
Police reviewed surveillance footage from a nearby business and asked the public for help in identifying a person of interest.
Police positively identified and arrested 35-year-old Rafael Munoz, Jr within 24 hours of the assault.
They booked Munoz into Potter County Detention Center on charges of injury to an elderly person, fail to identify, assault causes bodily injury, and criminal mischief.
Voltairi remained in critical condition until he died from his injuries on February 10, 2023.
With the victim’s death, authorities filed a new charge of murder against Munoz.
Court documents show that Munoz caused the death of Voltairi by “striking him with his hand....or his foot, or a combination thereof.”
Munoz, 38, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter for the 2023 beating death of an elderly man.(Potter County Sheriff's Office)
A Potter County grand jury indicted Munoz for murder in March 2023.
He has remained in custody in lieu of $500,000 bond.
Shortly before a scheduled trial date of November 17, Munoz agreed to a plea.
He appeared in court last week with his appointed counsel, Lendon Ray, and pleaded guilty to a lesser-included offense of manslaughter.
District Judge Tim Pirtle sentenced Munoz to 32 years in prison.
In Texas, manslaughter is defined as “recklessly” causing the death of an individual. In contrast, murder is defined as “intentionally causing” the death of an individual.
Munoz remains in Potter County Detention Center pending his transfer into the prison system.
The death of Voltairi was the third homicide of 2023.
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