State vs. George Sanchez
Continuous Sexual Assault of a Child
Lead: Amanda Boylan
2nd Chair: Philip Teissier
DA Investigator: Thomas McGrath
DA Victim Advocate: Leslie Gutierrez
Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department
The defendant continuously sexually assaulted a child under the age of 14. The jury returned a swift guilty verdict and wanted to make sure the defendant spent a decade of his life in jail for each year that the abuse occurred.
GUILTY and sentenced to 65 years in prison.
State vs. Jessie Silva
Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle with a Deadly Weapon
Evading Arrest
Manufacture or Delivery a Controlled Substance PG 1>=4G <200G with a Deadly Weapon x 2
Lead: Jui Kothare
Pick: Nicole Heydari
DA Investigator: Alex Lipsey & Bonita Morgan
Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department
Undercover Dallas Police officers located a stolen truck at a house known for drug and stolen property sales. After a uniformed officer attempted a felony stop at a nearby 7-Eleven, the defendant evaded in the stolen truck. The defendant drove erratically and crashed into a residential fence on his way to his mother’s house. He continued to run on foot until patrol officers cornered and detained him. While he was cornered, the officers saw him toss something into the car garage where he was hiding. Officers recovered methamphetamine, black tar heroin, marijuana, pills, and unused drug packaging that he had tossed. The truck’s owner, several officers involved in the arrest, and a SWIFS chemist testified. DEA TFO Bert Ingram also testified regarding indicia of intent to deliver.
The jury found the defendant guilty of all four charges and found the defendant used a deadly weapon, the vehicle, in the commission of all offenses, Jessie Silva has over 28 theft-related convictions dating back to the 1980s and has been a thorn in the side of Dallas police for years. This will be his longest prison sentence to date.
GUILTY and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
State vs. Jesus Barajas
Indecency with a Child – Sexual Contact
Lead: Conner Sheets
2nd Chair: Michelle Shughart
DA Investigator: Walter Clifton Jr., Howard Sparks, Lorraine Resendez, and Laura Brakefield,
DA Victim Advocate: Leslie Gutierrez
Investigating Agency: Balch Springs Police Department
The defendant was convicted of Indecency with a Child involving sexual contact.
GUILTY and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
State vs. Whitney Foster
Theft of Property >=$300K
Lead: Phillip Clark
2nd Chair: Melinda Chaney
DA Investigator: Hoyt Hoffman
Investigating Agency: Lancaster Police Department
The defendant is a pastor who led a small congregation that did not have a physical place to gather. The defendant stole the real estate from not one, but three churches, by filing fraudulent deeds that listed a fake leader for the victim churches as the grantors and listed his church in his name as the grantee. Combined, the properties are valued at over $800,000. Two of the three properties are still listed in the defendant’s/church’s name (in fact, they still gather at one of them) – and the third one is still struggling to unwind all the damage caused, years later.
In punishment, the jury saw seven additional deeds with the same hallmarks as the three indicted deeds; they also learned about the defendant’s priors including Identity Theft and Arson.
GUILTY and sentenced to 35 years in prison.
State vs. Taurus Batts
Capital Murder
Lead: Patrick Capetillo
2nd Chair: Kinsey Stango
DA Investigator: Thomas Lenoir, Angie Barnes, JD Williams
Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department
On October 28, 2022, Kendrick Williams drove his 21-year-old son, Dewone Williams, to the Shamrock gas station on the corner of Corinth St. and Morrell so that Dewone could meet his boss to pick up a paycheck. Upon arriving, Kendrick and Dewone waited inside Kendrick’s vehicle. A few minutes later, the defendant, a family friend, approached the driver’s side window and asked Kendrick for a ride. Not thinking much of it, Kendrick agreed to drive the defendant home. The defendant then walked across the parking lot to the Motions convenience store, made a phone call, and returned, entering the rear driver-side door. One minute later, the defendant exited the vehicle through the rear passenger side door, put his hoodie up, and walked east on Morrell.
Kendrick’s 2008 silver Dodge Charger sat next to gas pump number 4 for one hour and 40 minutes before Dewone’s mother and sister found Kendrick and Dewone, both with gunshot wounds to their heads, inside. Dallas Police and Fire Rescue arrived within minutes, but it was too late. Patrol officers quickly identified the defendant on surveillance video; within an hour, the defendant was arrested.
At trial, the defendant testified he did not mean to kill Kendrick or Dewone. He testified that his gun accidentally went off twice in a struggle over the weapon. The jury did not find the defendant’s testimony credible and found the defendant guilty of capital murder.
GUILTY and sentenced to LIFE in prison without the possibility of parole.
State vs. Anthony Bryant
Aggravated Robbery x 2
Lead: Doug Millican
2nd Chair: Jessica Lynch
DA Investigator: Chris Frosch
Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department
Anthony Bryant convinced a young couple he was going to take them to West Dallas to see a car he had for sale. Bryant drove the young couple to a darkened street in West Dallas. Once out of the car, Bryant shot the female victim and demanded money from the male victim. After the male victim gave Bryant their money, Bryant shot the male victim and drove away.
The young couple survived their injuries after months in the hospital. At trial, Bryan testified he was acting in self-defense when he shot the victims. The jury heard evidence that Bryant had previously been sentenced to prison in Texas for Aggravated Robbery and is a member of a criminal street gang.
GUILTY and sentenced to 60 years in prison.
State vs. Dekkios Davis
1st Degree Aggravated Robbery x 7
2nd Degree Robbery
Lead: Leah Dintino
2nd Chair: Dimitri Anagnostis
DA Investigator: Jesse Resendez & Raul Obregon
Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department
The defendant committed eight robberies over the course of a month at the same apartment complex. He robbed people at gunpoint, sometimes hitting them with the weapon, sometimes firing the weapon. The Dallas Police Department also identified another robbery committed by the defendant a month before these robberies. We brought all nine of the victims to Court, and they each told the Judge their story.
The defendant preyed on a vulnerable community that he believed would not report these violent crimes to the police. Detective Fehrenbach from DPD explained to the Judge how this defendant was a high-impact offender committing serial or string robberies.
After listening to hours of testimony, the Judge assessed punishment at 20 years in prison for the 2nd Degree Robbery and 40 years in prison for the remaining 1st Degree Aggravated Robberies.
A special thank you to Inv. Raul Obregon for being the main point of contact for all of the victims. He worked tirelessly to arrange transportation for them and keep them safe during their testimony. This result could not have been achieved without his great work and dedication to seeking justice.
GUILTY plea and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
