Amarillo man set fire, threatened woman with bizarre weapon

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - An Amarillo man pleaded guilty to a felony assault involving an unusual weapon of choice.

On July 31, Amarillo Fire Department responded to a call for a structure fire near Northeast 12th Avenue and North Spring Street.

As firefighters contained the blaze, officers with Amarillo Police Department arrived and identified two women and one male at the scene.

The younger of the two women told an officer that the male resident was acting erratically. She identified the male as 29-year-old Omar Axel Cordero.

She told officers that she suspected Cordero was hallucinating, “possibly from drugs”.

She went on to explain that Cordero, who is also the father of her child, threatened her with a pair of antlers before “forcefully grabbing her arm, causing her pain and leaving a bruise.”

Based on the victim’s statements, officers arrested Cordero and booked him into Potter County Detention Center on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and assault on a family member with a previous conviction.

There was also enough evidence at the residence for authorities to charge Cordero with arson.

Cordero has remained in custody in lieu of a $40,000 bond since July.

Earlier this month, Cordero appeared in 320th District Court with his appointed counsel, Lendon Walker, and pleaded guilty to all three felony counts.

Judge Steven Denny then sentenced Cordero to serve 6 years in prison for setting the fire and then threatening his child’s mother with antlers before forcefully grabbing her.

He will remain in custody at PCDC until his transfer to the prison system.