For more than two years, prosecutors say a former University of Texas at El Paso student flooded campus administrators with violent, sexually explicit threats, even talking about an on-campus "assassination." Now, 34-year-old Michael Irving Joseph De La Torre is sitting in the El Paso County Jail, held on a total bond listed at $115,000.
De La Torre was booked on April 10 and initially faced a $40,000 bond. During an April 12 teleconference hearing, Magistrate Judge Ruben Núñez boosted that amount to $100,000, bringing the total to $115,000. Prosecutors say he is charged with harassment, stalking and multiple violations of protective orders.
According to the El Paso Times, the barrage of messages began in 2022 and continued for more than two years, long enough that two UTEP administrators sought protective orders in 2023. Court records and prosecutors said a felony indictment was handed up last October, and investigators tracked the phone numbers and email accounts behind the threats back to De La Torre. His public defender, Alex Ramirez, told the paper that De La Torre has struggled with anxiety, depression and PTSD, and that he had been staying in Austin before his arrest.
What prosecutors say
In court, Assistant District Attorney Veronica Vallejo did not mince words about the tone of the messages, describing the communications as explicit and alarming, according to the El Paso Times. Vallejo told the judge that De La Torre talked about "suicide by cop" and threatened "to stab, shoot, and kill and rape university staff" over the course of the campaign of messages, prosecutors said at the bond hearing.
Prosecutors argued that the volume and nature of the threats, combined with the previously issued protective orders, justified raising the bond and keeping tight controls on De La Torre while the case moves forward.
Campus reaction and safety measures
In court, prosecutors said the administrators targeted in the messages have visibly changed how they live and work. According to their statements, they have sought firearms training, brought a guard dog into their lives and keep a bat at a desk as a precaution, steps that prosecutors say reflect heightened fear among staff.
UTEP Police operates the university's campus police department, publishes crime logs and offers safety resources on its website to help coordinate responses to threats and other incidents. De La Torre is being held at the county's Downtown Detention Facility, which is overseen by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, the agency that also posts inmate and booking information online.
Legal context
Under Texas law, stalking is a felony offense. It can be prosecuted as a third-degree felony or as a second-degree felony if the defendant has a prior stalking conviction, which gives prosecutors a range of potential penalties and allows judges to impose stricter conditions on a defendant's release. Texas Penal Code § 42.072 defines stalking and outlines those penalties.
When setting bond in cases involving repeated harassment or existing protective orders, judges may also order no contact with alleged victims or add other restrictions intended to prevent further intimidation.
What's next
The criminal case is still active in El Paso County courts, and prosecutors have indicated they intend to pursue the charges while De La Torre remains behind bars and pretrial proceedings play out. His attorney has urged the court to factor in De La Torre's mental health history as the case advances.
Local officials say campus staff will continue using heightened safety precautions while they wait to see how the judicial process unfolds.
