Families of residents who died while in the care of Arlington assisted living operator Regla Su Becquer say they are heartbroken and frustrated after a plea agreement brought her criminal case to an end without a trial.
Becquer pleaded guilty this week and received an 18-year prison sentence for financial abuse of the elderly along with 10 years for abandoning or endangering an individual and two years in state jail for criminally negligent homicide. Arlington police had previously linked at least 20 deaths to facilities she operated though she was ultimately charged in connection with only one.
Roger Simon the cousin of Karen Walker one of the victims said Walker was just 61 years old and had gone into Becquer’s care to help manage her blood sugar. Simon said Walker had told him during phone calls that she was unhappy and wanted to leave but was not allowed to go. Before Simon could finalize power of attorney arrangements he received a call from a medical examiner’s office informing him that Walker had died on October 26 2022.
Police also discovered a handwritten one-sentence will dated just weeks before Walker’s death that left her entire estate to Becquer. Investigators said they were looking into that document.
Simon said learning about the plea deal hit him hard. He had planned to testify at trial regardless of the personal cost to his health. He said he cried himself to sleep after hearing the news and feels Becquer should never be released from prison.
Mary Ann Gonzales shared a similar sense of disbelief over her sister Esmeralda Tovar who had onset dementia when she was placed in Becquer’s care. Gonzales said her sister was still walking and talking when she arrived at the facility but within roughly three weeks had fallen into a comatose state.
Gonzales said she grew suspicious when Becquer repeatedly refused to allow video calls with her sister. She drove to the facility during her winter break as a teacher only to find her sister unresponsive. Tovar died shortly after.
A spokesperson for the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that time Becquer has already served since her March 2024 arrest will count toward her sentence. The office did not publicly address families’ concerns about the plea agreement.
A case against codefendant Tiffany Brown remains pending in Tarrant County court.