By T.J. Aulds
The Daily News
Published December 28, 2008
TEXAS CITY — The man found stuffed in the trunk of a car that had been abandoned in the driveway of a Texas City home on Christmas Night was identified as an illegal immigrant from Honduras, police said Saturday.
Abisai Hernandez-Garcia, 31, was stabbed and beaten before being stuffed into the trunk of his green 1997 Mitsubishi Galant. The vehicle was abandoned in the driveway of a family’s home in the 100 block of 28th Street about 10 p.m. Thursday.
After calling police about the abandoned car, the homeowners said dispatchers suggested they call a towing company to have it removed, since the vehicle was on private property.
As they waited for the wrecker to arrive, the couple searched for records to identify the owner.
They opened the trunk to discover the man’s body inside.
The medical examiner would not be able to confirm until Monday Hernandez-Garcia’s cause of death. Police said he had been dead less than 24 hours when his body was discovered.
Texas City Police Capt. Brian Goetschius said Hernandez-Garcia had been deported at least once, possibly twice. He had also been arrested twice this year by Texas City police for driving without a license and in November was arrested on a charge of public intoxication.
Outside of those instances, police have very little information about the victim, Goetschius said. They were working with federal immigration officials to find out more about his background.
The police department also was going to contact the Honduran consulate to notify the victim’s family.
Hernandez-Garcia’s body was dumped just a few blocks from the Velami Apartment complex where he lived, Goetschius said. While the transfer of the title had never been completed, police obtained records that show the victim had purchased the Galant about a month before he was found dead.
Goetschius said the car had been reported abandoned at another location in Texas City on Dec. 21. The orange tow warning sticker was still on the car’s windshield.
Police did confirm Hernandez-Garcia had no connection to the owners of the home where his car was dumped.
“We’re bewildered why the vehicle was left there,” Goetschius said.
Hernandez-Garcia’s death is the second case in Texas City of an illegal immigrant’s body found under mysterious circumstances. On Dec. 11, the body of an illegal immigrant from El Salvador was found dead in a field on Amburn Road about three blocks from College of the Mainland.
Police were led to that gruesome discovery after an anonymous phone tip to 911.
Goetschius said the two deaths do not appear to be related.
+++
How To Help
Texas City police asked that anyone with information call 409-643-5760 or Crime Stoppers at 409-948-8477.
Showing posts with label Murder Victims. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Murder Victims. Show all posts
December 28, 2008
November 16, 2008
'Why'd they let him go?' In killing blamed on immigrant, woman's kin want answers
Tina Davila murdered by an illegal immigrant
By SUSAN CARROLL
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
On a cloudy Monday afternoon in April, Tina Davila was buried according to her wishes: dressed in her favorite Dallas Cowboys jersey, with a photo of all five of her children tucked inside her coffin. In the picture, Kaylynn, the baby girl Davila died trying to protect, looks fussy, her chubby cheeks puckered into a pout.
Billy Brewer, Kaylynn's father, watched as Davila's coffin was lowered into a grave at San Jacinto Memorial Park Cemetery in Houston.
Brewer, a long-haul trucker, had a crush on Davila since he was a teenager. He loved her wide smile and how, he said, ''she wouldn't back down from nothing for nobody." Most especially on the day Davila, 39, tried to fight off the man who cornered her in a parking lot while Kaylynn was strapped into her car seat.
Witnesses told police Davila refused to hand over her car keys and screamed as she was stabbed in the chest: "My baby! My baby!"
In the days after her death April 16, Brewer couldn't bring himself to watch the surveillance camera video of the slaying. Not yet. He had a 4-month-old baby, just learning how to roll from her back to her belly, and a house full of memories.
On the TV news, Brewer learned that Timoteo Rios, the man charged with killing Davila, was an illegal immigrant with a criminal record. Rios had admitted to local law enforcement twice before the slaying that he was in the country illegally, but he wasn't deported, according to arrest and immigration records.
"I just want to know why," Brewer said. "If they were doing their jobs right, he wouldn't have been out there. Why'd they let him go?"
First arrest
Rios, now 24, was arrested for the first time in Harris County on May 29, 2007, a Tuesday afternoon. He attracted little attention. About 370 inmates pass through the intake division of Harris County Jail daily. Rios, who was living in a southwest Houston apartment complex, was charged with failure to identify to a police officer and marijuana possession, both misdemeanors.
He was fingerprinted, photographed and asked a series of questions. His answers were entered into the jail computer system. Birth date: Oct. 6, 1984. Height: 5 feet 11 inches. Weight: 162 pounds.
The jailer eventually asked: Are you a U.S. citizen? The records show that Rios said no, he was a Mexican citizen.
The jailer then asked: Are you an illegal immigrant?
Yes, Rios replied, according to jail records.
The jailer entered Rios' name into a database of inmates, set up in September 2006, who have admitted they are in the country illegally. The data entries are shared with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Houston, who have unrestricted access to the county's four jails. Agents routinely question and place "holds" on inmates in Harris County Jail they suspect are eligible for deportation.
Rios' name was the 15th of 20 added that Monday to the database. ICE officials confirm that they did not file paperwork to detain him.
Rios pleaded guilty to both counts against him and was released from jail June 5, 2007.
Second arrest
Twenty-two days later, Rios was back in jail, charged with criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. Police said he argued with his 18-year-old ex-girlfriend, the mother of two of his daughters, and punched out her apartment window. Then he threw a beer bottle at his ex-girlfriend's mother.
Rios was booked at 4:35 p.m. Again, Rios told jailers he was in the country illegally and, for a second time, was added to the database. He filled out paperwork for the court, writing that he was from Michoacan, Mexico, and worked in construction.
He pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 20 days with 11 days credit and was released July 6.
Kenneth Landgrebe, ICE's head of detention and removal for Houston, said ICE agents didn't have a chance to get to Rios.
"He was released before we had an opportunity to handle the case," he said. "We're in Harris County (Jail) every day, but we can't be in all places at the same time. I believe he was in a different part of the jail that we were working in. He was not where we were.
"We have to prioritize," he said. "Should we have been over there identifying him and letting a child molester get out? Or a pedophile or a bank robber or someone convicted of a serious drug crime? In a perfect world, if we had all the staff we needed, we could hopefully identify every alien that is unlawfully present in the U.S."
Ruth Alsobrook, Davila's grandmother, still lives in the house where Davila was raised in Galena Park, a 1950s-era neighborhood near the Port of Houston. Davila's parents died before she was 12.
"I loved that girl," said Alsobrook, 93, sitting in an armchair. ''I raised her in the church. Every time the church doors were open, we were there."
Davila attended Galena Park High School and rebelled as a teenager. She married her high school sweetheart, Eric Matt, in the spring of 1988. They had three children: Patrick, 20, Patricia, 18, and Payton, 16. Davila and Matt divorced after eight years but stayed friends. Davila later remarried and had another daughter, but that marriage also ended after a long separation.
One night about two years ago, she and Brewer ran into each other at Del's, a diner on the city's east side. Brewer asked her out for a date, and she said yes.
He said he felt lucky every day since, until April 16.
It was Brewer's 35th birthday. He had to drive a load out to Oklahoma City. He kissed Davila and Kaylynn, who was 3 months and 28 days old. It was early morning when he left for work.
At 5:02 p.m., Davila pulled into the parking lot outside the Cricket cell phone store on Uvalde Road near Wallisville Road, about a five-minute drive from her house in Houston. The next few moments were captured on the video surveillance camera outside the store.
Davila parked her white Chrysler Aspen SUV and stepped out. She started walking toward the store, leaving Kaylynn buckled into her car seat. An older model Ford Taurus pulled in behind Davila's SUV. A man jumped out and ran to block the door. He and Davila struggled over her purse and car keys.
A witness in the parking lot told detectives Davila screamed for her baby. The man stabbed Davila and ran back to his car, tossing the keys away. She stumbled inside the store, clutching her chest.
That night, Brewer tried Davila's cell phone, but it went straight to voice mail. Finally, his mother called him.
"Billy, come home," she said. "Tina's had an accident."
"How bad?" he asked.
"Just come home," she said.
Unanswered questions
Davila was taken to East Houston Regional Medical Center. She was pronounced dead minutes after arriving. By the time Brewer reached his mother's house that night, Davila's death was already on the TV news.
Days after the slaying, Harris County detectives arrested 18-year-old Kennedy Escoto, the suspected getaway car driver. Investigators said Escoto implicated Rios in Davila's death. Detectives say Rios may have fled to Mexico.
Davila's older children had questions about what happened. They saw on the news that Rios had been arrested twice before the slaying — and was in the country illegally.
"The kids just couldn't understand why he could be illegal and commit crimes and still be here. And I couldn't explain it to them," Matt said.
After Davila was killed, Brewer exchanged his long-haul job for one that keeps him closer to home. He asked his cousin to care for Kaylynn, temporarily, he said, until she gets a little bit older.
He put down a $150 deposit on a grave near Davila's and is paying $50 a month.
The more he learns about the man accused of killing Davila, the more his anger grows.
"He should have been deported after the first arrest," he said. "It's that simple. There's got to be a better way."
Brewer has started putting together a scrapbook for Kaylynn. He's saving Davila's high school jacket, a bunch of magnets he picked out for her over the years on the road, and the program from her funeral service. On the cover, there's a picture of Davila, with a warm, wide smile.
susan.carroll@chron.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Warning: Some may find this video distrubing and upsetting.
Store Security Video
The last few seconds of this video is the footage of Tina Davila's murder, and it is preceeded by a shoplifting theft.
November 14, 2008
Officer's widow blames gun store in death
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- We're hearing from the widow of a slain Houston police officer who says a Pasadena gun store is to blame for her husband's murder.
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Rodney Johnson was murdered two years ago. His killer is in prison for life.
The lawsuit filed at the Harris County Civil Courthouse says even though Juan Quintero pulled the trigger, he's not the only one to blame for Officer Johnson's murder. It says a gun store should have prevented the convicted felon and illegal immigrant from getting his hands on the gun he used.
It's been six months since the Quintero went to prison for life. Still Joslyn Johnson's fight is not over.
"I would not like this to happen to any other family," she said. "I wouldn't want anyone else to have to endure their pain."
She has sued the city over its one officer per car practice, now she's suing the store that sold the gun that Quintero used to kill her husband.
Quintero fatally shot Officer Rodney Johnson during a traffic stop. The officer missed a hidden weapon on Quintero during a pat-down and Quintero managed to get to it while handcuffed, but Joslyn believes the killer never would have had the 9mm had Carter's Country, she says, followed the law.
"I would just like the gun companies to know this should not be tolerated," Johnson said. "They should be more responsible and they need to do a complete and thorough background check."
According to the lawsuit, Carter's Country was negligent because although Quintero did the shopping, the salesperson allowed his wife, Theresa, to fill out the federally mandated paperwork for the purchase of the gun as if she were the actual purchaser. They did this, it says, because Quintero's immigration status and criminal record made him ineligible to legally buy a gun. It's called a straw sale and it's illegal.
"There are federal regulations out there, other laws out there, to present this type of purchase," said Johnson's attorney Ben Dominguez.
In a videotaped confession, Dominguez says Quintero admitted to the details of the gun purchase.
Meanwhile, Carter's Country denies the allegations. In its answer to the lawsuit, attorneys for the company argue in part the shooting was out of its control. Juan Quintero and his employer, Robert Camp, now under indictment for illegally employing him, are responsible.
Beyond that its attorney told us, "we don't think it's ethical to discuss the facts of a pending case."
Joslyn Johnson doesn't want to stop talking. She's on a crusade of sorts for her husband.
"I just want people to be aware that this should not happen to anyone else if I can help it," she said.
There's no dollar amount listed in the lawsuit. Johnson's attorney says they'll let a jury decide on that. As for criminal investigation. A spokesperson said t hey could neither confirm or deny they're investigating.
(Copyright ©2008 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Rodney Johnson was murdered two years ago. His killer is in prison for life.
The lawsuit filed at the Harris County Civil Courthouse says even though Juan Quintero pulled the trigger, he's not the only one to blame for Officer Johnson's murder. It says a gun store should have prevented the convicted felon and illegal immigrant from getting his hands on the gun he used.
It's been six months since the Quintero went to prison for life. Still Joslyn Johnson's fight is not over.
"I would not like this to happen to any other family," she said. "I wouldn't want anyone else to have to endure their pain."
She has sued the city over its one officer per car practice, now she's suing the store that sold the gun that Quintero used to kill her husband.
Quintero fatally shot Officer Rodney Johnson during a traffic stop. The officer missed a hidden weapon on Quintero during a pat-down and Quintero managed to get to it while handcuffed, but Joslyn believes the killer never would have had the 9mm had Carter's Country, she says, followed the law.
"I would just like the gun companies to know this should not be tolerated," Johnson said. "They should be more responsible and they need to do a complete and thorough background check."
According to the lawsuit, Carter's Country was negligent because although Quintero did the shopping, the salesperson allowed his wife, Theresa, to fill out the federally mandated paperwork for the purchase of the gun as if she were the actual purchaser. They did this, it says, because Quintero's immigration status and criminal record made him ineligible to legally buy a gun. It's called a straw sale and it's illegal.
"There are federal regulations out there, other laws out there, to present this type of purchase," said Johnson's attorney Ben Dominguez.
In a videotaped confession, Dominguez says Quintero admitted to the details of the gun purchase.
Meanwhile, Carter's Country denies the allegations. In its answer to the lawsuit, attorneys for the company argue in part the shooting was out of its control. Juan Quintero and his employer, Robert Camp, now under indictment for illegally employing him, are responsible.
Beyond that its attorney told us, "we don't think it's ethical to discuss the facts of a pending case."
Joslyn Johnson doesn't want to stop talking. She's on a crusade of sorts for her husband.
"I just want people to be aware that this should not happen to anyone else if I can help it," she said.
There's no dollar amount listed in the lawsuit. Johnson's attorney says they'll let a jury decide on that. As for criminal investigation. A spokesperson said t hey could neither confirm or deny they're investigating.
(Copyright ©2008 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
September 16, 2008
Dallas County jury finds Hector Medina guilty of killing his two children
12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 16, 2008
By TIARA M. ELLIS / The Dallas Morning News
tellis@dallasnews.com
It took about six minutes Monday for a Dallas County jury to decide that Hector Medina was guilty of capital murder for killing his two children.
That same jury began hearing evidence less than 30 minutes later for the punishment phase of the trial to determine whether Mr. Medina, 29, should be sentenced to death or life in prison with no opportunity for parole.
Mr. Medina's guilt was not disputed during his four-day trial. Attorney Donna Winfield told the jury the first day of the trial last week that her client was responsible for the shooting deaths of Javier, 3, and Diana, 8 months, in March 2007.
But Ms. Winfield asked the jury to consider that Mr. Medina's girlfriend, who is the mother of the children, had been having an affair with one of their housemates. Elia Martinez-Bermudez left Mr. Medina less than a week before the shooting.
Ms. Martinez-Bermudez testified during the trial through a Spanish interpreter that Mr. Medina told her he would kill her, their children and himself if she ever left him.
"Ladies and gentleman, he carried out most of that plan," prosecutor Josh Healy told the jury during closing arguments Monday. "He ended the lives of two individuals, who together did not equal 4 years old.
"Hector Medina took this gun and this ammunition ... and goes to his 3-year-old child," Mr. Healy told the jury, pointing the gun at the floor.
"Bam. In the head. Bam. In the neck.
"He doesn't stop there," Mr. Healy said, turning to Diana's wooden crib in the center of the courtroom. "He then turns to the 8-month-old and puts two shots into the baby, killing her instantly."
Afterward, Mr. Medina told one of the four roommates living in the house to call Ms. Martinez-Bermudez and tell her she could pick up the kids, according to testimony.
Then he went outside the Irving house and shot himself in the neck and head. He was hospitalized for about a week and still has one of the bullets lodged in the back of his neck, Ms. Winfield has said in court.
Ms. Martinez-Bermudez was the first witness to testify for the prosecution when the sentencing hearing began Monday afternoon.
She told the jury that Mr. Medina physically restrained her and forced her to have anal sex. He also hit her, threw clothes and appliances and tore a bedroom door off its hinges during one incident the week before the shooting, she said.
Ms. Martinez-Bermudez is an illegal immigrant. She received a special visa exception through the Violence Against Women Act, which helps illegal immigrant women who are victims of abuse come forward – and remain in the United States.
Ms. Winfield questioned why Ms. Martinez-Bermudez had never told police that Mr. Medina raped or abused her before she filed for a protective order two days before the shooting on March 4, 2007.
Under cross examination, Ms. Martinez-Bermudez denied making up the abuse reports to be able to live here legally. She said she just wanted to get her children away from Mr. Medina.
"I don't know how to explain it," Ms. Martinez-Bermudez said, her voice breaking. "He took the most precious things in my life."
The punishment phase is scheduled to continue this morning.
12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 16, 2008
By TIARA M. ELLIS / The Dallas Morning News
tellis@dallasnews.com
It took about six minutes Monday for a Dallas County jury to decide that Hector Medina was guilty of capital murder for killing his two children.
That same jury began hearing evidence less than 30 minutes later for the punishment phase of the trial to determine whether Mr. Medina, 29, should be sentenced to death or life in prison with no opportunity for parole.
Mr. Medina's guilt was not disputed during his four-day trial. Attorney Donna Winfield told the jury the first day of the trial last week that her client was responsible for the shooting deaths of Javier, 3, and Diana, 8 months, in March 2007.
But Ms. Winfield asked the jury to consider that Mr. Medina's girlfriend, who is the mother of the children, had been having an affair with one of their housemates. Elia Martinez-Bermudez left Mr. Medina less than a week before the shooting.
Ms. Martinez-Bermudez testified during the trial through a Spanish interpreter that Mr. Medina told her he would kill her, their children and himself if she ever left him.
"Ladies and gentleman, he carried out most of that plan," prosecutor Josh Healy told the jury during closing arguments Monday. "He ended the lives of two individuals, who together did not equal 4 years old.
"Hector Medina took this gun and this ammunition ... and goes to his 3-year-old child," Mr. Healy told the jury, pointing the gun at the floor.
"Bam. In the head. Bam. In the neck.
"He doesn't stop there," Mr. Healy said, turning to Diana's wooden crib in the center of the courtroom. "He then turns to the 8-month-old and puts two shots into the baby, killing her instantly."
Afterward, Mr. Medina told one of the four roommates living in the house to call Ms. Martinez-Bermudez and tell her she could pick up the kids, according to testimony.
Then he went outside the Irving house and shot himself in the neck and head. He was hospitalized for about a week and still has one of the bullets lodged in the back of his neck, Ms. Winfield has said in court.
Ms. Martinez-Bermudez was the first witness to testify for the prosecution when the sentencing hearing began Monday afternoon.
She told the jury that Mr. Medina physically restrained her and forced her to have anal sex. He also hit her, threw clothes and appliances and tore a bedroom door off its hinges during one incident the week before the shooting, she said.
Ms. Martinez-Bermudez is an illegal immigrant. She received a special visa exception through the Violence Against Women Act, which helps illegal immigrant women who are victims of abuse come forward – and remain in the United States.
Ms. Winfield questioned why Ms. Martinez-Bermudez had never told police that Mr. Medina raped or abused her before she filed for a protective order two days before the shooting on March 4, 2007.
Under cross examination, Ms. Martinez-Bermudez denied making up the abuse reports to be able to live here legally. She said she just wanted to get her children away from Mr. Medina.
"I don't know how to explain it," Ms. Martinez-Bermudez said, her voice breaking. "He took the most precious things in my life."
The punishment phase is scheduled to continue this morning.
We the People -
Lack of urban civility
Re: Sept. 6 article "Hit-and-runs leave families wondering why."
Eleven people have been killed in 151 hit-and-runs in Austin that caused injury or death through July 28. Grieving families ponder the "unthinkable" and "unimaginable" violence while police comment that drivers "made a very bad decision" and "just panic" amidst problems of insurance, immigration or intoxication.
A more accurate explanation of this significant "quality of life issue" is the carbarian culture of civic narcissism and road rage, which is an index of the lack of urban civility in Austin, where the self-centered and self-absorbed come to fall in love with themselves (and their metal monsters) in a childish, selfish city of self-indulgence and egotistical lack of concern for others.
Gene Burd
Austin
Hit-and-runs leave families wondering why
Re: Sept. 6 article "Hit-and-runs leave families wondering why."
Eleven people have been killed in 151 hit-and-runs in Austin that caused injury or death through July 28. Grieving families ponder the "unthinkable" and "unimaginable" violence while police comment that drivers "made a very bad decision" and "just panic" amidst problems of insurance, immigration or intoxication.
A more accurate explanation of this significant "quality of life issue" is the carbarian culture of civic narcissism and road rage, which is an index of the lack of urban civility in Austin, where the self-centered and self-absorbed come to fall in love with themselves (and their metal monsters) in a childish, selfish city of self-indulgence and egotistical lack of concern for others.
Gene Burd
Austin
Hit-and-runs leave families wondering why
September 10, 2008
Police lobby Congress for tougher immigration enforcement
By Jeff McShan / 11 News
Video
HOUSTON -- It was an early Sunday morning in June when Houston Police Officer Gary Gryder was struck and killed by a driver. Hunt Troung drove through a construction barricade.
Gryder's fellow officer Joe Pyland was severely injured in the collision.
It was the second time in two years that an HPD officer died while in duty.
In 2006, Officer Rodney Johnson was gunned down after making a routine traffic stop and arrest.
In both cases, the suspects accused of killing the officers are illegal immigrants.
So, on Tuesday, Johnson's widow, Pyland and Houston's police union president Gary Blankenship flew to Washington. On Thursday – which incidentally will be Sept. 11 – they will testify before a U.S. House judiciary committee on the subject of illegal immigrants.
“And we need some federal funding. We are 1,500 police officers short in Houston,” said Blankenship. “We are certainly in a position where we need to prioritize, but we need to address this problem and we need help from the federal government.”
Critics have long called Houston a sanctuary city, one that does not aggressively enforce immigration laws.
However, since Johnson and Gryder were killed, the police department has taken a more aggressive approach towards illegal immigrants who commit serious crimes in Houston.
Last year HPD arrested about 77,000 people and ran their fingerprints through a national database.
Those searches turned up 111 illegal immigrants who were wanted by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials. The illegals were processed and held until immigration officials came to pick them up.
So far this year, 122 illegal immigrants have been identified and picked up by ICE. It is unclear how many of those have actually been deported, though.
The Houston police representatives going to D.C. insist more money will help, but they also plan to tell the federal government that it is just as important to seal the borders first.
Video
HOUSTON -- It was an early Sunday morning in June when Houston Police Officer Gary Gryder was struck and killed by a driver. Hunt Troung drove through a construction barricade.
Gryder's fellow officer Joe Pyland was severely injured in the collision.
It was the second time in two years that an HPD officer died while in duty.
In 2006, Officer Rodney Johnson was gunned down after making a routine traffic stop and arrest.
In both cases, the suspects accused of killing the officers are illegal immigrants.
So, on Tuesday, Johnson's widow, Pyland and Houston's police union president Gary Blankenship flew to Washington. On Thursday – which incidentally will be Sept. 11 – they will testify before a U.S. House judiciary committee on the subject of illegal immigrants.
“And we need some federal funding. We are 1,500 police officers short in Houston,” said Blankenship. “We are certainly in a position where we need to prioritize, but we need to address this problem and we need help from the federal government.”
Critics have long called Houston a sanctuary city, one that does not aggressively enforce immigration laws.
However, since Johnson and Gryder were killed, the police department has taken a more aggressive approach towards illegal immigrants who commit serious crimes in Houston.
Last year HPD arrested about 77,000 people and ran their fingerprints through a national database.
Those searches turned up 111 illegal immigrants who were wanted by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials. The illegals were processed and held until immigration officials came to pick them up.
So far this year, 122 illegal immigrants have been identified and picked up by ICE. It is unclear how many of those have actually been deported, though.
The Houston police representatives going to D.C. insist more money will help, but they also plan to tell the federal government that it is just as important to seal the borders first.
September 8, 2008
Hector Medina's attorney plans to show why dad killed his two kids
By TIARA M. ELLIS / The Dallas Morning News
tellis@dallasnews.com
The defense attorney for a man accused of killing his two children said during opening statements at his trial today that she would show jurors why the shootings took place.
"This case is not a whodunit," said defense attorney Donna Winfield in the capital murder trial of Hector Medina. "The entire responsibility of what happened that day lies with Hector Medina. We want to know why."
Hector Rolando Medina Mr. Medina, 29, is accused of fatally shooting 8-month-old Diana and 3-year-old Javier before shooting himself in the head and neck in March 2007. If convicted, he faces the death penalty.
Ms. Winfield told the jury that she plans to show that Mr. Medina's girlfriend and mother of his children, Elia Martinez-Bermudez, now 24, had been having an affair with one of their roommates. Ms. Winfield also plans to call a mental health expert to testify about Mr. Medina's mindset.
Prosecutor Pat Kirlin told the jury during opening statements that Ms. Martinez-Bermudez left Mr. Medina days before the shooting in March 2007, because he had threatened to kill her and their children. When she returned to their Irving home one day later from picking up her paycheck, Mr. Medina would not let her back into the home. Their children were inside.
After she left, a couple of the roommates reported hearing some doors bang shut, sounds which were later identified as gunshots, Mr. Kirlin said.
"He had put two bullets through each one of his children" Mr. Kirlin said.
The next day, a district judge granted a protective order to Ms. Martinez-Bermudez. She could not be reached for comment last week, but she is expected to testify during Mr. Medina's trial.
Mr. Medina, who is a citizen of El Salvador, was hospitalized for about a week and then taken to the Dallas County Jail. He has remained there on a federal immigration hold. The bullet remains in his neck, according to court records.
Irving police Sgt. Jef Swann said it's common for violence in an adult relationship to extend to children in the household.
"The husband or wife, if they can't take it out on that person, they'll take it out on the children," said Sgt. Swann, who oversees the Irving police family violence unit. "The kids are regularly caught in the middle."
In an affidavit for the protective order, Ms. Martinez-Bermudez said that "Hector has grabbed me, thrown me, pulled my hair and pinned me down and forced me to have sex with him numerous times."
The week before the shooting, the affidavit said, Mr. Medina assaulted her at the Irving house they shared with another family because she refused to have sex with him.
She said Mr. Medina told her that police would write her a ticket if she called them for no reason.
"Hector stated since I did not have any bruising they would not believe me," Ms. Martinez-Bermudez said. "I believed Hector, so I didn't call for help."
tellis@dallasnews.com
The defense attorney for a man accused of killing his two children said during opening statements at his trial today that she would show jurors why the shootings took place.
"This case is not a whodunit," said defense attorney Donna Winfield in the capital murder trial of Hector Medina. "The entire responsibility of what happened that day lies with Hector Medina. We want to know why."
Hector Rolando Medina Mr. Medina, 29, is accused of fatally shooting 8-month-old Diana and 3-year-old Javier before shooting himself in the head and neck in March 2007. If convicted, he faces the death penalty.
Ms. Winfield told the jury that she plans to show that Mr. Medina's girlfriend and mother of his children, Elia Martinez-Bermudez, now 24, had been having an affair with one of their roommates. Ms. Winfield also plans to call a mental health expert to testify about Mr. Medina's mindset.
Prosecutor Pat Kirlin told the jury during opening statements that Ms. Martinez-Bermudez left Mr. Medina days before the shooting in March 2007, because he had threatened to kill her and their children. When she returned to their Irving home one day later from picking up her paycheck, Mr. Medina would not let her back into the home. Their children were inside.
After she left, a couple of the roommates reported hearing some doors bang shut, sounds which were later identified as gunshots, Mr. Kirlin said.
"He had put two bullets through each one of his children" Mr. Kirlin said.
The next day, a district judge granted a protective order to Ms. Martinez-Bermudez. She could not be reached for comment last week, but she is expected to testify during Mr. Medina's trial.
Mr. Medina, who is a citizen of El Salvador, was hospitalized for about a week and then taken to the Dallas County Jail. He has remained there on a federal immigration hold. The bullet remains in his neck, according to court records.
Irving police Sgt. Jef Swann said it's common for violence in an adult relationship to extend to children in the household.
"The husband or wife, if they can't take it out on that person, they'll take it out on the children," said Sgt. Swann, who oversees the Irving police family violence unit. "The kids are regularly caught in the middle."
In an affidavit for the protective order, Ms. Martinez-Bermudez said that "Hector has grabbed me, thrown me, pulled my hair and pinned me down and forced me to have sex with him numerous times."
The week before the shooting, the affidavit said, Mr. Medina assaulted her at the Irving house they shared with another family because she refused to have sex with him.
She said Mr. Medina told her that police would write her a ticket if she called them for no reason.
"Hector stated since I did not have any bruising they would not believe me," Ms. Martinez-Bermudez said. "I believed Hector, so I didn't call for help."
Trial of man accused of killing his two children begins
By TIARA M. ELLIS / The Dallas Morning News
tellis@dallasnews.com
A death penalty trial is scheduled to begin today in Dallas for a 29-year-old man accused of killing his two young children after their mother, his longtime girlfriend, told authorities that he had abused her and threatened them.
Hector Rolando Medina and his girlfriend, Elia Martinez-Bermudez, had been together for five years when she decided to leave him last year. She told police that he had repeatedly abused her physically and raped her.
Ms. Martinez-Bermudez, now 24, sought a protective order on March 2, 2007. Two days later, she returned to her Irving home to find police inside with her mortally wounded children.
Police say Mr. Medina shot the two – Javier, 3, and Diana, 8 months – before shooting himself in the neck.
The next day, a district judge granted a protective order to Ms. Martinez-Bermudez. She could not be reached for comment last week, but she is expected to testify during Mr. Medina's trial.
Mr. Medina, who is a citizen of El Salvador, was hospitalized for about a week and then taken to the Dallas County Jail. He has remained there on a federal immigration hold. The bullet remains in his neck, according to court records.
Donna Winfield, Mr. Medina's attorney, tried during pretrial discussions to persuade prosecutors to give her client life in prison with no opportunity for parole, the only other punishment available in capital murder cases.
"These types of cases are never about responsibility, or who did it," Ms. Winfield said last week. "What was going on mentally with the person? That's more the crux of the case."
Irving police Sgt. Jef Swann said it's common for violence in an adult relationship to extend to children in the household.
"The husband or wife, if they can't take it out on that person, they'll take it out on the children," said Sgt. Swann, who oversees the Irving police family violence unit. "The kids are regularly caught in the middle."
In an affidavit for the protective order, Ms. Martinez-Bermudez said that "Hector has grabbed me, thrown me, pulled my hair and pinned me down and forced me to have sex with him numerous times."
The week before the shooting, the affidavit said, Mr. Medina assaulted her at the Irving house they shared with another family because she refused to have sex with him.
She said Mr. Medina told her that police would write her a ticket if she called them for no reason.
"Hector stated since I did not have any bruising they would not believe me," Ms. Martinez-Bermudez said. "I believed Hector, so I didn't call for help."
tellis@dallasnews.com
A death penalty trial is scheduled to begin today in Dallas for a 29-year-old man accused of killing his two young children after their mother, his longtime girlfriend, told authorities that he had abused her and threatened them.
Hector Rolando Medina and his girlfriend, Elia Martinez-Bermudez, had been together for five years when she decided to leave him last year. She told police that he had repeatedly abused her physically and raped her.
Ms. Martinez-Bermudez, now 24, sought a protective order on March 2, 2007. Two days later, she returned to her Irving home to find police inside with her mortally wounded children.
Police say Mr. Medina shot the two – Javier, 3, and Diana, 8 months – before shooting himself in the neck.
The next day, a district judge granted a protective order to Ms. Martinez-Bermudez. She could not be reached for comment last week, but she is expected to testify during Mr. Medina's trial.
Mr. Medina, who is a citizen of El Salvador, was hospitalized for about a week and then taken to the Dallas County Jail. He has remained there on a federal immigration hold. The bullet remains in his neck, according to court records.
Donna Winfield, Mr. Medina's attorney, tried during pretrial discussions to persuade prosecutors to give her client life in prison with no opportunity for parole, the only other punishment available in capital murder cases.
"These types of cases are never about responsibility, or who did it," Ms. Winfield said last week. "What was going on mentally with the person? That's more the crux of the case."
Irving police Sgt. Jef Swann said it's common for violence in an adult relationship to extend to children in the household.
"The husband or wife, if they can't take it out on that person, they'll take it out on the children," said Sgt. Swann, who oversees the Irving police family violence unit. "The kids are regularly caught in the middle."
In an affidavit for the protective order, Ms. Martinez-Bermudez said that "Hector has grabbed me, thrown me, pulled my hair and pinned me down and forced me to have sex with him numerous times."
The week before the shooting, the affidavit said, Mr. Medina assaulted her at the Irving house they shared with another family because she refused to have sex with him.
She said Mr. Medina told her that police would write her a ticket if she called them for no reason.
"Hector stated since I did not have any bruising they would not believe me," Ms. Martinez-Bermudez said. "I believed Hector, so I didn't call for help."
September 7, 2008
Homicides increase, police maintain high clearance rate
By Sean Gaffney
NEAR DONNA - Eleazar Olivo laid wistfully in bed with a loaded hand gun close by when the stream of bullets started.
The 28-year-old grabbed the hand gun and returned fire during the middle of the night slaying Luis Daniel Garcia, a suspected member of the Tri City Bombers. Another man escaped in what investigators suspect was a gang-related assassination attempt.
Few homicides are so easily solved, but the killing of 34-year-old Garcia left few questions for investigators when they arrived at 700 block of Juanita Street close to 1 a.m. April 1, said Hidalgo County Sheriff Captain John Montemayor.
Olivo never faced charges for saving his own life. Authorities said it was justifiable homicide. The other shooter was never found.
While nationally about 60 percent of homicides are solved on average, according to statistics from the FBI's 2006 Uniform Crime Report, local departments are approaching a nearly 100 percent clearance rate.
McAllen has arrested suspects for each of their five homicides this year. Mission has one outstanding suspect and the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office has suspects named, but not all arrested, in every of their 17 murders but one.
For the sheriff's office, this is the deadliest year in recent memory. In 2006, the office investigated 16 homicides and there were 14 reports in 2007.
TROUBLING UNSOLVED HOMICIDE
Officials attribute the high clearance rates to killers not covering their tracks, making them easily identifiable.
"I could say it's because we got the best investigators in the state of Texas - I do feel very strongly about that (because) we do have some very focused and dedicated investigators," said Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño. "I wish I could sit here and gloat. I have to be realistic about it."
Still some high-profile cases remain unsolved and continue to confound investigators. With some of the cases the suspects have fled to Mexico and then there are others like the June 7 killing of 84-year-old Elena Garza Ayala of Edinburg.
Ayala was driving along Monte Cristo Road near the intersection with North Depot Road when a single bullet police believe was fired from a dark-colored Jeep Grand Cherokee emerged through her passenger door, passed through her torso and lodged itself inside the vehicle, authorities said.
"This is one case that's really bothered me," Trevino said. "We've got some very strong leads on who the shooters are. What the motive was and the type of weapon used."
MISSION KILLING
Investigators suspect Josue Gonzalez Rodriguez, a 21-year-old Reynosa-based construction worker, killed Ruben Varela in February at a model home in Mission for $8,000 dollars. The victim's brother Jose Juan Varela, 38, is accused of paying the shooter to kill his brother. A second middle man and Varela have been charged with capital murder. Rodriguez fled to Mexico, authorities said.
"We are working together with (Mexican authorities) in making an effort to see what we can do on actually pinpointing him and having Mexican officials make an arrest," said Lt. Martin Garza, a Mission police spokesman.
Last week, a suspect wanted in another slaying in the Mission area fled to Mexico, Sheriff Treviño said. A camera caught Froilan Casares, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, walking across the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge early Monday morning, hours after he was suspected of killing Adin Jaret Rodriguez, a Mexican national in his early 20s, on the property of State Rep. Kino Flores, D-Palmview.
"We are a border town and that will always be an obstacle," Garza said of suspects fleeing across the border. But, he added, cooperation among local, state, federal and Mexican authorities has improved making apprehension and extradition much more likely.
STILL UNSOLVED
Weslaco police have had two homicides this year and one arrest. They suspect Francisco Javier Gonzalez-Rivera fled to Mexico after allegedly killing Weslaco teacher Eduardo Cruz at his home on July 15.
Police continue to search for Jose Antonio Sanchez Zapata, 22, who is wanted for the murder of 14-year-old Roberto Castro Jr. at a Murphy USA on August 23. They also search for a person of interest they identify as Enrique, said Weslaco Police spokesman David Molina.
Victor Hugo Olivares, 18, has already been charged with capital murder in connection to the killing.
NEAR DONNA - Eleazar Olivo laid wistfully in bed with a loaded hand gun close by when the stream of bullets started.
The 28-year-old grabbed the hand gun and returned fire during the middle of the night slaying Luis Daniel Garcia, a suspected member of the Tri City Bombers. Another man escaped in what investigators suspect was a gang-related assassination attempt.
Few homicides are so easily solved, but the killing of 34-year-old Garcia left few questions for investigators when they arrived at 700 block of Juanita Street close to 1 a.m. April 1, said Hidalgo County Sheriff Captain John Montemayor.
Olivo never faced charges for saving his own life. Authorities said it was justifiable homicide. The other shooter was never found.
While nationally about 60 percent of homicides are solved on average, according to statistics from the FBI's 2006 Uniform Crime Report, local departments are approaching a nearly 100 percent clearance rate.
McAllen has arrested suspects for each of their five homicides this year. Mission has one outstanding suspect and the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office has suspects named, but not all arrested, in every of their 17 murders but one.
For the sheriff's office, this is the deadliest year in recent memory. In 2006, the office investigated 16 homicides and there were 14 reports in 2007.
TROUBLING UNSOLVED HOMICIDE
Officials attribute the high clearance rates to killers not covering their tracks, making them easily identifiable.
"I could say it's because we got the best investigators in the state of Texas - I do feel very strongly about that (because) we do have some very focused and dedicated investigators," said Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño. "I wish I could sit here and gloat. I have to be realistic about it."
Still some high-profile cases remain unsolved and continue to confound investigators. With some of the cases the suspects have fled to Mexico and then there are others like the June 7 killing of 84-year-old Elena Garza Ayala of Edinburg.
Ayala was driving along Monte Cristo Road near the intersection with North Depot Road when a single bullet police believe was fired from a dark-colored Jeep Grand Cherokee emerged through her passenger door, passed through her torso and lodged itself inside the vehicle, authorities said.
"This is one case that's really bothered me," Trevino said. "We've got some very strong leads on who the shooters are. What the motive was and the type of weapon used."
MISSION KILLING
Investigators suspect Josue Gonzalez Rodriguez, a 21-year-old Reynosa-based construction worker, killed Ruben Varela in February at a model home in Mission for $8,000 dollars. The victim's brother Jose Juan Varela, 38, is accused of paying the shooter to kill his brother. A second middle man and Varela have been charged with capital murder. Rodriguez fled to Mexico, authorities said.
"We are working together with (Mexican authorities) in making an effort to see what we can do on actually pinpointing him and having Mexican officials make an arrest," said Lt. Martin Garza, a Mission police spokesman.
Last week, a suspect wanted in another slaying in the Mission area fled to Mexico, Sheriff Treviño said. A camera caught Froilan Casares, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, walking across the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge early Monday morning, hours after he was suspected of killing Adin Jaret Rodriguez, a Mexican national in his early 20s, on the property of State Rep. Kino Flores, D-Palmview.
"We are a border town and that will always be an obstacle," Garza said of suspects fleeing across the border. But, he added, cooperation among local, state, federal and Mexican authorities has improved making apprehension and extradition much more likely.
STILL UNSOLVED
Weslaco police have had two homicides this year and one arrest. They suspect Francisco Javier Gonzalez-Rivera fled to Mexico after allegedly killing Weslaco teacher Eduardo Cruz at his home on July 15.
Police continue to search for Jose Antonio Sanchez Zapata, 22, who is wanted for the murder of 14-year-old Roberto Castro Jr. at a Murphy USA on August 23. They also search for a person of interest they identify as Enrique, said Weslaco Police spokesman David Molina.
Victor Hugo Olivares, 18, has already been charged with capital murder in connection to the killing.
September 6, 2008
In grief, husband asks: Who left wife for dead?
Hit-and-runs leave families with unanswered questions
By Tony Plohetski
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
On the night she died, Linda O'Bryan had worked a late shift at a Northwest Austin pharmacy and decided to walk to her apartment about a mile away.
The 58-year-old beauty adviser had been without a car since an accident months earlier and had told her husband that the route, with unlit spots and heavy traffic along the way, sometimes made her nervous. The couple often talked by phone until she got home.
O'Bryan had been walking only a few minutes when a car slammed into her in the bike lane along Steck Avenue.
She lay fatally injured in the street. The driver kept going.
"Maybe she could have survived it had someone helped her a lot quicker," said her husband, Jack O'Bryan.
O'Bryan, a truck driver, was on the road in the Northeast that night in July. He tried calling his wife's cell phone during the time that he thought she would be walking. Then, he frantically called their apartment for the next several hours. Finally, at 2 a.m., an Austin police officer answered and told him what had happened.
In his grief, O'Bryan has been left with two questions: Who left his wife for dead and why?
11 killed so far this year
O'Bryan was the 10th person killed in 2008 in a crime that haunts families and law enforcement officials alike: hit-and-runs in which the seriously injured or dead are abandoned along a road, sometimes for hours until someone sees them and calls 911. Those killed this year have included pedestrians, motorcyclists and passengers.
An 11th hit-and-run fatality happened early Thursday morning, when motorcyclist Eric Laufer was struck by a vehicle on U.S. 183 in North Austin.
Austin had 151 hit-and-runs that caused injury or death through July 28. In each of the previous two years, there were 286.
"It's a significant problem," Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said. "Not only is it a public safety issue, but it is a quality of life issue. People need to know when they are involved in a crash that hopefully the person is going to stop and identify themselves."
Investigators say they are generally left with few clues to solve the cases. They use traditional investigation work — talking to witnesses and body shop owners, for instance — as well as what they call "vehicle DNA" — such as a broken headlight, a side mirror or paint fragments — to try to figure out the identity of drivers.
Detectives said they ask suspects why they didn't call 911 to report a crash or stop to help a victim.
The suspects often reply that they had been drinking, that their driver's licenses were suspended or that they did not have insurance, detectives say. Some also cite their immigration status.
"Generally, in a moment, someone makes a very bad decision," said Sgt. Kris Thompson, who works in the Austin Police Department's vehicular homicide unit. "They think, 'Oh, nobody sees me, I'm OK.' "
Vehicular homicide Detective Adrian Duran said, "I've heard pretty much every excuse there is. I think the majority of times, people just panic."
Loved ones of the dead, including O'Bryan, say they not only face sudden loss but are also consumed with questions about how a motorist could hit a person and then drive away.
"It shatters families," said Tello Leal, an Austin police victims services counselor assigned to the vehicular homicide unit. "It changes everything you know, every way you see the world. It's devastating."
James D. Kings, the 17-year-old son of James Kings, a Dallas-area minister, was killed in March in a hit-and-run along Interstate 35 while in Austin for a school trip.
"It's just been unthinkable, just unimaginable," Kings said. "Obviously, I've lost my son, and there's anger that the person didn't stop, just thought so little of human life."
Police have not solved that case.
Of the 11 fatal cases this year, police have made arrests in six. Most of the suspects have been charged with failure to stop and render aid, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. In cases in which investigators think they can prove that drivers were reckless or were driving drunk, the charges may be more severe.
In some cases, witnesses helped catch suspects. Hours after Fermin Vences, 20, was killed while crossing North Lamar Boulevard, authorities arrested and charged Edgar Soria-Palacios, 20. A man saw what happened, followed Soria-Palacios home and then reported his whereabouts to police. Officers went to Soria-Palacios' house and found damage to the hood and windshield of his car, an arrest affidavit said. Court records did not include a statement from Soria-Palacios.
In another case this year, a man driving a Ryder truck struck and killed a motorcyclist in the 8000 block of N. I-35, police said.
A man sent by Ryder to repair a blown-out tire and damage to the rear of the truck found a shoe in the bumper, blood and flesh and called police, an arrest affidavit said. Jimmie Roger Stanley, 47, was arrested and charged with failure to stop and render aid. Court documents did not include a statement from Stanley.
Short of such informants, detectives rely on luck, or the chance that drivers will tell other people about their crimes.
Couple met in church
They met 16 years ago at church.
Jack O'Bryan, now 49, had recently moved to Austin from Colorado Springs, Colo., and was sitting in a pew in front of the woman who would become his wife a year later. Both had previous marriages.
He said he was first captivated by her singing.
"I heard her voice behind me in the congregation, and I turned around and looked at her," he said. "I spoke to her, and our friendship grew."
O'Bryan said he was also attracted to his wife's personality; she diplomatically, yet sternly put family members, friends or strangers in their place when she felt disrespected.
He said they shared a common faith. They had wanted to buy a home together and hoped to travel to Italy. Linda O'Bryan had long been mesmerized by Venice's gondolas.
On the day of his wife's death, Jack O'Bryan said, she had begun planning a dream-come-true: She scheduled a two-week vacation to see her three grandchildren. Linda O'Bryan has a son from her previous marriage.
"There was nothing she would not do for them," O'Bryan said. "That's how a grandmother should be."
Jack O'Bryan flew to Austin from Baltimore the morning after his wife's death to make funeral arrangements.
"My life from that day forward has been indescribable," he said. "Without her, my life each day seems so empty."
Keeping a grief journal
Since his wife's death, O'Bryan has driven by the crash site several times each week.
He often gets out of the car and studies the area. He has done his own accident reconstruction, making notes of what he thinks happened: how the driver jumped a curb, drove 10 yards, hit a sign and then swerved back off the curb, hitting his wife from behind and throwing her about 20 yards into the street.
He has begun journaling about his grief, about how he can't sleep at night and how he can't stop thinking about the driver who kept going.
"As long as you run from this, you are my enemy," he wrote. "Turn yourself in and bring a closure to this matter, and when you do, though I totally despise what you did and how you reacted to it, I will look you in the eyes and tell you I forgive you, but you absolutely MUST come forward."
He also regularly calls the detective assigned to the case for updates.
"That just reminds me that I'm not just dealing with another case," Detective Richard Harrington said. "I'm dealing with a person."
Harrington said last week that investigators have impounded a car that could have killed Linda O'Bryan and are doing a forensic exam on it. He said the owner of the car, whom he declined to identify, gave an account about how the car was damaged that made him suspicious.
Jack O'Bryan has also aggressively pursued media coverage to keep what happened to his wife in the public's mind.
He hopes that one day, someone will come forward with information about what happened.
Until then, he said, he will keep driving by the spot where his wife died.
"I think about her last minutes on Earth, and I say, 'I'm going to find out who did this,' " he said.
tplohetski@statesman.com; 445-3605
By Tony Plohetski
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
On the night she died, Linda O'Bryan had worked a late shift at a Northwest Austin pharmacy and decided to walk to her apartment about a mile away.
The 58-year-old beauty adviser had been without a car since an accident months earlier and had told her husband that the route, with unlit spots and heavy traffic along the way, sometimes made her nervous. The couple often talked by phone until she got home.
O'Bryan had been walking only a few minutes when a car slammed into her in the bike lane along Steck Avenue.
She lay fatally injured in the street. The driver kept going.
"Maybe she could have survived it had someone helped her a lot quicker," said her husband, Jack O'Bryan.
O'Bryan, a truck driver, was on the road in the Northeast that night in July. He tried calling his wife's cell phone during the time that he thought she would be walking. Then, he frantically called their apartment for the next several hours. Finally, at 2 a.m., an Austin police officer answered and told him what had happened.
In his grief, O'Bryan has been left with two questions: Who left his wife for dead and why?
11 killed so far this year
O'Bryan was the 10th person killed in 2008 in a crime that haunts families and law enforcement officials alike: hit-and-runs in which the seriously injured or dead are abandoned along a road, sometimes for hours until someone sees them and calls 911. Those killed this year have included pedestrians, motorcyclists and passengers.
An 11th hit-and-run fatality happened early Thursday morning, when motorcyclist Eric Laufer was struck by a vehicle on U.S. 183 in North Austin.
Austin had 151 hit-and-runs that caused injury or death through July 28. In each of the previous two years, there were 286.
"It's a significant problem," Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said. "Not only is it a public safety issue, but it is a quality of life issue. People need to know when they are involved in a crash that hopefully the person is going to stop and identify themselves."
Investigators say they are generally left with few clues to solve the cases. They use traditional investigation work — talking to witnesses and body shop owners, for instance — as well as what they call "vehicle DNA" — such as a broken headlight, a side mirror or paint fragments — to try to figure out the identity of drivers.
Detectives said they ask suspects why they didn't call 911 to report a crash or stop to help a victim.
The suspects often reply that they had been drinking, that their driver's licenses were suspended or that they did not have insurance, detectives say. Some also cite their immigration status.
"Generally, in a moment, someone makes a very bad decision," said Sgt. Kris Thompson, who works in the Austin Police Department's vehicular homicide unit. "They think, 'Oh, nobody sees me, I'm OK.' "
Vehicular homicide Detective Adrian Duran said, "I've heard pretty much every excuse there is. I think the majority of times, people just panic."
Loved ones of the dead, including O'Bryan, say they not only face sudden loss but are also consumed with questions about how a motorist could hit a person and then drive away.
"It shatters families," said Tello Leal, an Austin police victims services counselor assigned to the vehicular homicide unit. "It changes everything you know, every way you see the world. It's devastating."
James D. Kings, the 17-year-old son of James Kings, a Dallas-area minister, was killed in March in a hit-and-run along Interstate 35 while in Austin for a school trip.
"It's just been unthinkable, just unimaginable," Kings said. "Obviously, I've lost my son, and there's anger that the person didn't stop, just thought so little of human life."
Police have not solved that case.
Of the 11 fatal cases this year, police have made arrests in six. Most of the suspects have been charged with failure to stop and render aid, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. In cases in which investigators think they can prove that drivers were reckless or were driving drunk, the charges may be more severe.
In some cases, witnesses helped catch suspects. Hours after Fermin Vences, 20, was killed while crossing North Lamar Boulevard, authorities arrested and charged Edgar Soria-Palacios, 20. A man saw what happened, followed Soria-Palacios home and then reported his whereabouts to police. Officers went to Soria-Palacios' house and found damage to the hood and windshield of his car, an arrest affidavit said. Court records did not include a statement from Soria-Palacios.
In another case this year, a man driving a Ryder truck struck and killed a motorcyclist in the 8000 block of N. I-35, police said.
A man sent by Ryder to repair a blown-out tire and damage to the rear of the truck found a shoe in the bumper, blood and flesh and called police, an arrest affidavit said. Jimmie Roger Stanley, 47, was arrested and charged with failure to stop and render aid. Court documents did not include a statement from Stanley.
Short of such informants, detectives rely on luck, or the chance that drivers will tell other people about their crimes.
Couple met in church
They met 16 years ago at church.
Jack O'Bryan, now 49, had recently moved to Austin from Colorado Springs, Colo., and was sitting in a pew in front of the woman who would become his wife a year later. Both had previous marriages.
He said he was first captivated by her singing.
"I heard her voice behind me in the congregation, and I turned around and looked at her," he said. "I spoke to her, and our friendship grew."
O'Bryan said he was also attracted to his wife's personality; she diplomatically, yet sternly put family members, friends or strangers in their place when she felt disrespected.
He said they shared a common faith. They had wanted to buy a home together and hoped to travel to Italy. Linda O'Bryan had long been mesmerized by Venice's gondolas.
On the day of his wife's death, Jack O'Bryan said, she had begun planning a dream-come-true: She scheduled a two-week vacation to see her three grandchildren. Linda O'Bryan has a son from her previous marriage.
"There was nothing she would not do for them," O'Bryan said. "That's how a grandmother should be."
Jack O'Bryan flew to Austin from Baltimore the morning after his wife's death to make funeral arrangements.
"My life from that day forward has been indescribable," he said. "Without her, my life each day seems so empty."
Keeping a grief journal
Since his wife's death, O'Bryan has driven by the crash site several times each week.
He often gets out of the car and studies the area. He has done his own accident reconstruction, making notes of what he thinks happened: how the driver jumped a curb, drove 10 yards, hit a sign and then swerved back off the curb, hitting his wife from behind and throwing her about 20 yards into the street.
He has begun journaling about his grief, about how he can't sleep at night and how he can't stop thinking about the driver who kept going.
"As long as you run from this, you are my enemy," he wrote. "Turn yourself in and bring a closure to this matter, and when you do, though I totally despise what you did and how you reacted to it, I will look you in the eyes and tell you I forgive you, but you absolutely MUST come forward."
He also regularly calls the detective assigned to the case for updates.
"That just reminds me that I'm not just dealing with another case," Detective Richard Harrington said. "I'm dealing with a person."
Harrington said last week that investigators have impounded a car that could have killed Linda O'Bryan and are doing a forensic exam on it. He said the owner of the car, whom he declined to identify, gave an account about how the car was damaged that made him suspicious.
Jack O'Bryan has also aggressively pursued media coverage to keep what happened to his wife in the public's mind.
He hopes that one day, someone will come forward with information about what happened.
Until then, he said, he will keep driving by the spot where his wife died.
"I think about her last minutes on Earth, and I say, 'I'm going to find out who did this,' " he said.
tplohetski@statesman.com; 445-3605
September 5, 2008
Murdered HPD Cop's Widow to Go to Washington to Discuss Immigration
HPD Officer Rodney Johnson
Video
HOUSTON -- The widow of a murdered Houston police officer is headed to Capitol Hill on a dark anniversary.
It was two years ago this month when Rodney Johnson was gunned down by Juan Wuintero. He was in this country illegally according to prosecutors.
Johnson's wife, Sgt. Joslyn Johnson, will speak at a congressional forum on immigration. She says she wants local and federal officials to do more to keep illegal immigrants off the street.
Johnson will be accompanied by the president of the police officers union Gary Blankenship.
They're scheduled to speak before the Congressional forum next Tuesday.
September 2, 2008
Arrest made in grizzly murder
By Ray Gomez
Story Created: Sep 2, 2008
Video
The Webb County Sheriff's department has made an arrest in a cold-blooded murder at a local used clothing store.
It all began early yesterday morning off of Mines road near Rancho Penitas.
It took deputies an entire day to clean up the scene but today the suspect has been caught.
Investigators arrived at a bloody scene around 9 a.m. yesterday morning at a clothing store off Mines road near Rancho Penitas.
According to deputies the owners of the store noticed a large blood trail that led from a warehouse to a lot around forty yards away.
The blood trail led to a septic tank where a male subject was found facedown.
The man had multiple severe injuries to the face, head and chest area.
Now it was Border Patrol Agents who would later find the suspect walking through an area near mines road and i-35
18-year-old Jose Elias Perez Guerra was taken into custody and later provided a full confession of the murder.
In that confession Guerra said he brutally attacked the victim with a machete and a 10-inch butcher knife.
Guerra is being held on a 200 thousand dollar bond in addition to an immigration hold.
There is still no word on why Guerra murdered the man.
An investigation continues to try to identify that victim.
Story Created: Sep 2, 2008
Video
The Webb County Sheriff's department has made an arrest in a cold-blooded murder at a local used clothing store.
It all began early yesterday morning off of Mines road near Rancho Penitas.
It took deputies an entire day to clean up the scene but today the suspect has been caught.
Investigators arrived at a bloody scene around 9 a.m. yesterday morning at a clothing store off Mines road near Rancho Penitas.
According to deputies the owners of the store noticed a large blood trail that led from a warehouse to a lot around forty yards away.
The blood trail led to a septic tank where a male subject was found facedown.
The man had multiple severe injuries to the face, head and chest area.
Now it was Border Patrol Agents who would later find the suspect walking through an area near mines road and i-35
18-year-old Jose Elias Perez Guerra was taken into custody and later provided a full confession of the murder.
In that confession Guerra said he brutally attacked the victim with a machete and a 10-inch butcher knife.
Guerra is being held on a 200 thousand dollar bond in addition to an immigration hold.
There is still no word on why Guerra murdered the man.
An investigation continues to try to identify that victim.
Flores broke the law, but punishment is unlikely
Sara Perkins
MISSION -- State Rep. Kino Flores, D-Palmview, will likely not be sanctioned for hiring an illegal immigrant.
In the wake of a violent slaying on Flores' ranch property north of Mission, local and Mexican law enforcement agencies are tracking a 24-year-old Honduran man who had been living and working there. But federal law enforcement agencies have expressed little interest in pursuing Flores for hiring Froilan Caseres, who authorities said was in the country illegally when he allegedly beat another man to death.
Flores denied any knowledge of Caseres' immigration status. His cell phone was turned off Tuesday and a message left at his home was not returned.
On Monday, he told The Monitor that Caseres had only been doing a few days' worth of work on the ranch, and that because of Caseres' appearance and family connections in the area, Flores did not check his immigration papers.
However, it appeared Caseres had been living in a building on the ranch, and Flores' son told investigators the man had been there as long as three weeks before the killing, Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño said.
It was unclear whether Flores withheld Social Security or federal income taxes from Caseres' pay.
ON THE RUN
Mexican officials and the FBI were still tracking Caseres in Mexico as Tuesday evening.
Treviño said the man made several phone calls soon after Adin Jaret Rodriguez, a Mexican national in his early 20s, was beaten to death. In one call Caseres made to his sister, he apparently admitted to killing Rodriguez and robbing him.
Caseres caught a ride to the border and was filmed crossing the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge just before 2:45 a.m. Monday. He boarded a bus bound for Monterrey and another to Mexico City, but Mexican authorities have yet to locate and arrest him.
The victim's brother helped county officers locate Rodriguez's body just after 5 a.m. Monday.
"We are assuming (Rodriguez and Caseres) were friends, at least at one time," Treviño said. Rodriguez was not working at the ranch, but the initial investigation indicates he was also in the United States illegally.
The body was found by a small house at the back of the ranch, where Treviño said it appeared Caseres had been living.
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
In general, federal immigration authorities must prioritize in deciding which cases to refer to the U.S. attorney's office, said Nina Pruneda, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ICE is one of several agencies that would have authority to charge Flores for hiring Caseres. However, Flores' case had not been referred to ICE as of Tuesday afternoon, Pruneda said.
"Issues of worksites and individuals knowingly hiring illegal immigrants is obviously a priority for us," she said.
However, Flores' case would be small-time. In past years ICE has made prosecuting large employers a priority, along with cases that affect public safety or involve substantial fraud.
In 2006, a Houston security company was charged with arming the illegal immigrants it hired to stand guard, falsifying documents and knowingly lying on forms to get the men licensed to carry weapons.
On Thursday, the owner of Texas company Shipley Do-Nuts pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor federal charge of continuing to employ unauthorized workers. The company is expected to plead guilty to illegal hiring and pay a $1.3 million fine.
In late July, Hidalgo County sheriff's deputies alleged Silvestre Delgadillo, an illegal immigrant tasked with guarding a Mercedes convenience store, shot and killed 17-year-old Roberto Garcia as the teen tried to break in to the store. The owner of the business, Olivia Lopez, who employed the immigrant, was not expected to face federal charges at the time.
POLITICAL FALLOUT
Some high-profile cases reveal that while there can be consequences when a public official hires an illegal immigrant, those consequences are usually political, not legal. And even the political consequences can be limited.
In 1993, lawyer Zoe Baird - whom President Clinton had nominated to the post of attorney general - withdrew her name from consideration when it was revealed she had hired an illegal nanny and driver. She paid a fine to the now-defunct U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service as well as back income taxes on both.
Christine Todd Whitman, a former administrator of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, also paid back taxes when it was revealed she had sheltered and employed an undocumented couple.
However, the political damage was limited, since her opponent at the time in the race for governor of New Jersey had also used illegal immigrant help without withholding income and Social Security taxes.
Flores does not have an opponent in the November elections and is set to be elected to a seventh term. His political allies in western Hidalgo County are likewise safe from immediate voter backlash: All of the seats on the La Joya school board are uncontested, and Flores' mother-in-law, Irene Garcia, is set to replace opponent Joe Aguilar, who chose not to run.
Other cities within Flores' sphere of influence are not due to hold elections until spring next year.
Flores' violations also do not qualify for oversight by either the Texas Ethics Commission or the Texas House Committee on General Investigating and Ethics.
"That's typically not the type of scenario that the committee has looked at," the committee's Republican chairman, Rep. Larry Phillips, of Sherman, said Tuesday. "If it's something unrelated to their office or their electoral duties, we leave it to local law enforcement and to the voters."
MISSION -- State Rep. Kino Flores, D-Palmview, will likely not be sanctioned for hiring an illegal immigrant.
In the wake of a violent slaying on Flores' ranch property north of Mission, local and Mexican law enforcement agencies are tracking a 24-year-old Honduran man who had been living and working there. But federal law enforcement agencies have expressed little interest in pursuing Flores for hiring Froilan Caseres, who authorities said was in the country illegally when he allegedly beat another man to death.
Flores denied any knowledge of Caseres' immigration status. His cell phone was turned off Tuesday and a message left at his home was not returned.
On Monday, he told The Monitor that Caseres had only been doing a few days' worth of work on the ranch, and that because of Caseres' appearance and family connections in the area, Flores did not check his immigration papers.
However, it appeared Caseres had been living in a building on the ranch, and Flores' son told investigators the man had been there as long as three weeks before the killing, Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño said.
It was unclear whether Flores withheld Social Security or federal income taxes from Caseres' pay.
ON THE RUN
Mexican officials and the FBI were still tracking Caseres in Mexico as Tuesday evening.
Treviño said the man made several phone calls soon after Adin Jaret Rodriguez, a Mexican national in his early 20s, was beaten to death. In one call Caseres made to his sister, he apparently admitted to killing Rodriguez and robbing him.
Caseres caught a ride to the border and was filmed crossing the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge just before 2:45 a.m. Monday. He boarded a bus bound for Monterrey and another to Mexico City, but Mexican authorities have yet to locate and arrest him.
The victim's brother helped county officers locate Rodriguez's body just after 5 a.m. Monday.
"We are assuming (Rodriguez and Caseres) were friends, at least at one time," Treviño said. Rodriguez was not working at the ranch, but the initial investigation indicates he was also in the United States illegally.
The body was found by a small house at the back of the ranch, where Treviño said it appeared Caseres had been living.
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
In general, federal immigration authorities must prioritize in deciding which cases to refer to the U.S. attorney's office, said Nina Pruneda, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ICE is one of several agencies that would have authority to charge Flores for hiring Caseres. However, Flores' case had not been referred to ICE as of Tuesday afternoon, Pruneda said.
"Issues of worksites and individuals knowingly hiring illegal immigrants is obviously a priority for us," she said.
However, Flores' case would be small-time. In past years ICE has made prosecuting large employers a priority, along with cases that affect public safety or involve substantial fraud.
In 2006, a Houston security company was charged with arming the illegal immigrants it hired to stand guard, falsifying documents and knowingly lying on forms to get the men licensed to carry weapons.
On Thursday, the owner of Texas company Shipley Do-Nuts pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor federal charge of continuing to employ unauthorized workers. The company is expected to plead guilty to illegal hiring and pay a $1.3 million fine.
In late July, Hidalgo County sheriff's deputies alleged Silvestre Delgadillo, an illegal immigrant tasked with guarding a Mercedes convenience store, shot and killed 17-year-old Roberto Garcia as the teen tried to break in to the store. The owner of the business, Olivia Lopez, who employed the immigrant, was not expected to face federal charges at the time.
POLITICAL FALLOUT
Some high-profile cases reveal that while there can be consequences when a public official hires an illegal immigrant, those consequences are usually political, not legal. And even the political consequences can be limited.
In 1993, lawyer Zoe Baird - whom President Clinton had nominated to the post of attorney general - withdrew her name from consideration when it was revealed she had hired an illegal nanny and driver. She paid a fine to the now-defunct U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service as well as back income taxes on both.
Christine Todd Whitman, a former administrator of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, also paid back taxes when it was revealed she had sheltered and employed an undocumented couple.
However, the political damage was limited, since her opponent at the time in the race for governor of New Jersey had also used illegal immigrant help without withholding income and Social Security taxes.
Flores does not have an opponent in the November elections and is set to be elected to a seventh term. His political allies in western Hidalgo County are likewise safe from immediate voter backlash: All of the seats on the La Joya school board are uncontested, and Flores' mother-in-law, Irene Garcia, is set to replace opponent Joe Aguilar, who chose not to run.
Other cities within Flores' sphere of influence are not due to hold elections until spring next year.
Flores' violations also do not qualify for oversight by either the Texas Ethics Commission or the Texas House Committee on General Investigating and Ethics.
"That's typically not the type of scenario that the committee has looked at," the committee's Republican chairman, Rep. Larry Phillips, of Sherman, said Tuesday. "If it's something unrelated to their office or their electoral duties, we leave it to local law enforcement and to the voters."
Reward offered for weapon used in Labor Day slaying
By RICHARD ABSHIRE / The Dallas Morning Newsrabshire@dallasnews.com
Garland police have two suspects in custody in a Labor Day slaying at Windsurf Park on Lake Ray Hubbard, but they're asking for the public's help in locating the murder weapon.
Garland police have two suspects in custody in a Labor Day slaying at Windsurf Park on Lake Ray Hubbard, but they're asking for the public's help in locating the murder weapon.
Manuel Jesus Hernandez Manuel Hernandez, 24, of Lewisville and Raul Hernandez, 26, of Mesquite were arrested after a car chase Monday evening by officers responding to a shooting at the park.
There are also immigration holds on both men. It was unclear whether they are related.
During the chase, a video camera in one of the squad cars captured what appears to be a gun being thrown from the suspects' car, police spokesman Joe Harn said. Police eventually stopped the car, a maroon Chevrolet Tahoe, at Duck Creek and Oates drives in Garland.
The victim, 21-year-old Rex Allen Kieke of Dallas, was pronounced dead at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.
Raul Antonio Hernandez
Police searched the area where they believe the weapon was tossed – northbound on Broadway Boulevard just north of the I-30 service road in Garland – but were unable to find it.
Officer Harn said they believe someone might have found the gun and not realized its significance.
The police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 972-272-8477. A reward will be paid for the gun if a ballistics match is made.
Crash with serial DWI suspect kills Irving newlyweds
The Murderer a habitual drunk driving illegal allienBy DAN X. McGRAW / The Dallas Morning News
dmcgraw@dallasnews.com
They were newlyweds, she a second-grade teacher, he an aspiring musician, enjoying the Labor Day weekend and driving home after a date at the movies.
Then, in a horrifying instant, their future was cut short.
A drunken-driving suspect with four previous DWI arrests and a history of police pursuits was fleeing authorities early Monday when he caused a fiery crash, officials said, seriously injuring himself and killing the young couple.
Late Monday, officials charged Uriel Perez Palacios, 22, of Dallas with two counts of intoxication manslaughter and three counts of intoxication assault.
Erika Clouet, 24, and German Clouet, 23, of Irving were pronounced dead at the scene, less than two months after their wedding.
"Many deputies said it was one of the worst accidents that they ever saw," said Kimberlee Leach, a spokeswoman for the Dallas County Sheriff's Department. "You couldn't make out what kinds of vehicles were involved."
At least three others, including two Southern Methodist University students, were injured in the wreck, which left one vehicle in flames, another on its side and debris from a third scattered across the intersection of the North Central Expressway frontage road and Mockingbird Lane.
The Garland Police Department arrested Mr. Palacios in June on a charge of driving while intoxicated and released him after he paid a $500 fine, said Dallas County sheriff's Sgt. Paul Lehmann.
It wasn't until later that police realized that it was Mr. Palacios' fourth DWI offense, officials said.
It was not immediately clear why police were not aware of the previous arrests. Garland police officials were unavailable for comment Monday.
Previous chases
Mr. Palacios was also involved in two police chases prior to Monday's crash and had four outstanding drug and DWI warrants at the time of the wreck, officials said. The warrants were issued in July, after his last arrest.
The wreck occurred about 2 a.m. Monday after a Dallas County sheriff's deputy pulled over Mr. Palacios for allegedly weaving through traffic in his Chevy Tahoe on North Central Expressway.
As the deputy approached the vehicle, Mr. Palacios drove away with his lights off, authorities said. He exited at Mockingbird Lane and sped through a red light, striking another Chevy Tahoe, with five SMU students inside.
That collision sent Mr. Palacios' car into the air and into the Clouets' Scion SUV, crushing it, Ms. Leach said. Mr. Palacios was ejected from his vehicle, and his passenger, Bibiana Espinoza, 23, had to be cut from the vehicle.
Both were taken to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, where they were in intensive care Monday.
Two of the SMU students were treated for injuries that weren't life-threatening.
Tequila bottles
As deputies sorted through the wreckage, they found two bottles of Patrón tequila inside the vehicle Mr. Palacios was driving, Ms. Leach said. The bottles were empty, but police could not determine how full or empty they were prior to the wreck.
Ms. Leach said that based on his most recent arrest, Mr. Palacios may have been driving on a suspended license. Sgt. Lehmann said it's unlikely that Mr. Palacios is an illegal immigrant because no deportation holds have ever been attached to his criminal offenses.
DWI charges also are pending against Mr. Palacios in a 2007 incident. In that case, a judge increased his bond from $3,500 to $100,000, but it was lowered again to $3,500 and he went free.
"[The bond] was increased and for some reason it was lowered. He made bond," Ms. Leach said. "When he posted, we are obligated to release."
Meanwhile, family and friends of the Clouets grieved.
After graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington, Mrs. Clouet began teaching at Paul Keyes Elementary School in Irving, family members said. Her husband was a construction worker and musician in a band.
They met through their families eight years ago, and they quickly fell in love. They married on July 19, said family member Sheri Garcia.
"They had planned to have children of their own," Ms. Garcia said. "She loved children."
Tony Thetford, a spokesman for the Irving school district, said counselors will be available for children and faculty at Keyes Elementary today.
Suspect in Ranch Murder in Mexico City
Murder suspect, Froilan Casares giving America the finger, as he is entering Mexico on the Hidalgo international bridge.
Victim beaten to death on state representative's ranch
MISSION - A murder suspect who worked at a state representative's ranch has been tracked down to Mexico City.
Froilan Casares, an illegal immigrant, is accused of beating another worker to death with a baseball bat. The victim was Adin Rodriguez, who was also an illegal immigrant.
The two worked for State Representative Kino Flores. The murder happened on Flores' ranch, located off 8-1/2 Mile and Trosper Road in Mission.
Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino says U.S. investigators contacted Mexican authorities, who tracked down Casares.
Video had shown the Honduran national crossing into Mexico at the Hidalgo international bridge. From there, Casares took a bus to Monterrey and then headed to Mexico City.
In addition to the charge of capital murder, investigators say Casares also stole $400.
State Representative Flores says he had no idea either worker was illegal. The sheriff tells us federal authorities will handle any investigation into Flores' hiring of illegals.
Woman's Body Found in Suitcase
Teen Charged with Murder
Last Edited: Tuesday, 02 Sep 2008, 2:11 PM CDT
Last Edited: Tuesday, 02 Sep 2008, 2:11 PM CDT
Gerson Adonis Funes-Reina (left), Priscila Rodriguez (right) FOX 26 News
HOUSTON -- A 17-year-old girl is charged in connection with the death of her mother, after she helped her 19-year-old boyfriend dump her mother's dead body in northeast Harris County, according to detectives investigating the murder of 55-year-old Maria Rodriguez.
The body of Rodriguez was found Sunday morning inside a suitcase in a wooded area in Magnolia Gardens Park, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
When Priscila Rodriguez was questioned, detectives say she gave a statement saying that Gerson Adonis Funes-Reina killed her mother Friday. She admitted only to helping Funes-Reina place the body in the suitcase and taking it to the park.
Funes-Reina, an undocumented immigrant from Honduras, is now charged with murder. Detectives say he denies any involvement in the murder and is being uncooperative with the investigation.
Funes-Reina is being held without bond at the Harris County Jail and is scheduled to appear before a judge Wednesday morning.
Priscila Rodriguez is being held on $1,000 bond and faces a charge of misdemeanor abuse of a corpse. Detectives say the charge against the daughter may be upgraded.
A Houston newspaper reported a man driving along a secluded private road discovered the body in a black suitcase in the woods.
Investigators later discovered Rodriguez had been reported missing by her husband Friday.
The cause of death is under investigation.
September 1, 2008
State Rep.'s worker suspected in fatal beating
Associated Press - September 1, 2008 7:15 PM ET
McALLEN, Texas (AP) - Authorities say a ranch worker hired by a Texas lawmaker is a suspected illegal immigrant now wanted in the fatal beating of a young Hispanic man.
Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino says 24-year-old Froylen Casares is suspected of using a bat to beat another man to death yesterday. Casares remained at large Monday afternoon.
Trevino told The Monitor in McAllen that it was a "very bloody, very gruesome crime scene."
Authorities declined to name the dead man.
Casares was employed at a ranch owned by state Representative Kino Flores, who said he hired the man without checking his immigration status. Flores says the man looked "preppy" and that he did not suspect him of being here illegally.
The sheriff says Casares' immigration status and whether Flores broke the law by hiring him would have to be investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
McALLEN, Texas (AP) - Authorities say a ranch worker hired by a Texas lawmaker is a suspected illegal immigrant now wanted in the fatal beating of a young Hispanic man.
Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino says 24-year-old Froylen Casares is suspected of using a bat to beat another man to death yesterday. Casares remained at large Monday afternoon.
Trevino told The Monitor in McAllen that it was a "very bloody, very gruesome crime scene."
Authorities declined to name the dead man.
Casares was employed at a ranch owned by state Representative Kino Flores, who said he hired the man without checking his immigration status. Flores says the man looked "preppy" and that he did not suspect him of being here illegally.
The sheriff says Casares' immigration status and whether Flores broke the law by hiring him would have to be investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Illegal immigrant kills one at state Rep. Flores' ranch, police say
September 1, 2008 - 4:25PM
Sean Gaffney
NEAR MISSION - Police say a suspected illegal immigrant working for a Democratic state representative brutally beat another man to death with a bat Monday morning.
Froylen Casares, 24, was working at a ranch owned by state Rep. Kino Flores near the intersection of North Tropser and Yukon Roads when he killed a young Hispanic male whose name authorities have not released, said Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño.
"It was a very bloody, very bloody, very gruesome crime scene," Treviño said.
Authorities continue to search for Casares, of Honduras, who fled the scene before they arrived at about 5:30 a.m. Flores, who has owned the ranch for eight years and uses it to ride his horses, said he hired the man without checking his background because he didn't appear to be an illegal immigrant.
"He was preppy. He looked the part. No indication. He fit in extremely well, he had family members here," the Democrat from Palmview said. "It just looks bad in general ... of course it's going to grab more traction. I certainly don't want to go around challeng-ing people's status."
Flores, a six-term representative who is running unopposed for reelection this fall, was out of town for the holiday and was reached by phone Monday afternoon. He said he did not know the victim.
Treviño said the suspect's immigration status and whether Flores broke the law was a federal issue that would have to be investi-gated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Flores purchased the five-acre tract in 1986, expanding it in April this year with an additional six acres. The property was appraised at $143,648, according to county records.
--
Sean Gaffney covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4434.
Sean Gaffney
NEAR MISSION - Police say a suspected illegal immigrant working for a Democratic state representative brutally beat another man to death with a bat Monday morning.
Froylen Casares, 24, was working at a ranch owned by state Rep. Kino Flores near the intersection of North Tropser and Yukon Roads when he killed a young Hispanic male whose name authorities have not released, said Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño.
"It was a very bloody, very bloody, very gruesome crime scene," Treviño said.
Authorities continue to search for Casares, of Honduras, who fled the scene before they arrived at about 5:30 a.m. Flores, who has owned the ranch for eight years and uses it to ride his horses, said he hired the man without checking his background because he didn't appear to be an illegal immigrant.
"He was preppy. He looked the part. No indication. He fit in extremely well, he had family members here," the Democrat from Palmview said. "It just looks bad in general ... of course it's going to grab more traction. I certainly don't want to go around challeng-ing people's status."
Flores, a six-term representative who is running unopposed for reelection this fall, was out of town for the holiday and was reached by phone Monday afternoon. He said he did not know the victim.
Treviño said the suspect's immigration status and whether Flores broke the law was a federal issue that would have to be investi-gated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Flores purchased the five-acre tract in 1986, expanding it in April this year with an additional six acres. The property was appraised at $143,648, according to county records.
--
Sean Gaffney covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4434.
August 29, 2008
Suspect indicted on murder charges
By Stephanie Flemmons, Staff Writer
(Created: Friday, August 29, 2008 11:24 AM CDT)
A Collin County grand jury indicted an individual for one count of aggravated assault and one count of murder.
Marcos Noe Fernandez, 30, was arrested on charges of murder and attempted capital murder by Plano police June 14.
According to police records, a Plano police officer located a 24-year-old male with stab wounds at the Plano Tire Store, located in the 1500 block of Central Expressway.
The stabbing victim, Sergio Orlando DeLeon, 24, told police that he and his cousin Osbelio David DeLeon, 21, had gone to see a friend, Evelyn Morales, at the Alta Vista Apartments.
Sergio told police they were knocking on her door when three Hispanic males suddenly attacked him and stabbed him in the abdomen.
Sergio told police he attempted to run away from the location and the Hispanic male subject followed and stabbed him two more times in the back. Sergio said he did not know where his cousin was.
Police found Osbelio unconscious in the parking lot of the southeast portion of the apartment complex.
Osbelio DeLeon was pronounced dead from stab wounds just after 1 a.m., according to police.
When police contacted Morales, she said she did not hear knocking on her door, but heard several males from the apartment above, running down the stairs just before the police officers’ arrival.
Morales said she saw the subjects leaving in a gray four-door vehicle and told police the owner of the vehicle lives in the apartment directly above hers.
Police learned there were four individuals in the apartment.
Samuel De Jesus Chacon gave police a written consent to search his apartment and provided officers with a key.
When officers arrived at the apartment, the deadbolt was locked from the inside making them unable to unlock the door.
Police used a neighboring balcony to enter through the back door.
Chacon, Gustavo Ortega, 18, Edgar Castaneda, 27, and Leonel Ortega, 22, were identified inside the apartment.
Ortega told police all the men in the apartment fled before police arrived.
Castaneda told police he had been on the back porch drinking beer when he heard Rivera Ortega say that “someone had gotten stabbed and Marcos had done it,” according to the affidavit.
Castenda said Fernandez ran back into the apartment after the stabbing and jumped over the balcony carrying a knife.
Police contacted Milton Hiran Guzman Gregon, 22, who was arrested earlier that same evening for public intoxication. Guzman told police at approximately 11:30 p.m. two Hispanic males knocked on the apartment door. He said Fernandez answered the door and the men left. They returned 15 minutes later and knocked once again. He told police there was a verbal exchange the second time.
Guzman followed Fernandez and advised him to stop after the first stabbing, but he ran off after the second individual.
Guzman told police he advised everyone in the apartment Fernandez had stabbed the two men that were at the door.
Fernandez then ran back into the apartment and yelled that everyone needed to “get out.”
According to Rick McDonald, Plano police spokesman, investigators identified Fernandez as a Guatemalan national currently residing in Plano.
Fernandez was transported to the Collin County Detention Center, where he currently remains in lieu of a $900,000 bond. The Department of Homeland Security has placed an immigration hold on Fernandez.
Contact Stephanie Flemmons at sflemmons@acnpapers.com.
(Created: Friday, August 29, 2008 11:24 AM CDT)
A Collin County grand jury indicted an individual for one count of aggravated assault and one count of murder.
Marcos Noe Fernandez, 30, was arrested on charges of murder and attempted capital murder by Plano police June 14.
According to police records, a Plano police officer located a 24-year-old male with stab wounds at the Plano Tire Store, located in the 1500 block of Central Expressway.
The stabbing victim, Sergio Orlando DeLeon, 24, told police that he and his cousin Osbelio David DeLeon, 21, had gone to see a friend, Evelyn Morales, at the Alta Vista Apartments.
Sergio told police they were knocking on her door when three Hispanic males suddenly attacked him and stabbed him in the abdomen.
Sergio told police he attempted to run away from the location and the Hispanic male subject followed and stabbed him two more times in the back. Sergio said he did not know where his cousin was.
Police found Osbelio unconscious in the parking lot of the southeast portion of the apartment complex.
Osbelio DeLeon was pronounced dead from stab wounds just after 1 a.m., according to police.
When police contacted Morales, she said she did not hear knocking on her door, but heard several males from the apartment above, running down the stairs just before the police officers’ arrival.
Morales said she saw the subjects leaving in a gray four-door vehicle and told police the owner of the vehicle lives in the apartment directly above hers.
Police learned there were four individuals in the apartment.
Samuel De Jesus Chacon gave police a written consent to search his apartment and provided officers with a key.
When officers arrived at the apartment, the deadbolt was locked from the inside making them unable to unlock the door.
Police used a neighboring balcony to enter through the back door.
Chacon, Gustavo Ortega, 18, Edgar Castaneda, 27, and Leonel Ortega, 22, were identified inside the apartment.
Ortega told police all the men in the apartment fled before police arrived.
Castaneda told police he had been on the back porch drinking beer when he heard Rivera Ortega say that “someone had gotten stabbed and Marcos had done it,” according to the affidavit.
Castenda said Fernandez ran back into the apartment after the stabbing and jumped over the balcony carrying a knife.
Police contacted Milton Hiran Guzman Gregon, 22, who was arrested earlier that same evening for public intoxication. Guzman told police at approximately 11:30 p.m. two Hispanic males knocked on the apartment door. He said Fernandez answered the door and the men left. They returned 15 minutes later and knocked once again. He told police there was a verbal exchange the second time.
Guzman followed Fernandez and advised him to stop after the first stabbing, but he ran off after the second individual.
Guzman told police he advised everyone in the apartment Fernandez had stabbed the two men that were at the door.
Fernandez then ran back into the apartment and yelled that everyone needed to “get out.”
According to Rick McDonald, Plano police spokesman, investigators identified Fernandez as a Guatemalan national currently residing in Plano.
Fernandez was transported to the Collin County Detention Center, where he currently remains in lieu of a $900,000 bond. The Department of Homeland Security has placed an immigration hold on Fernandez.
Contact Stephanie Flemmons at sflemmons@acnpapers.com.
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