The Justice Journal: Vol. 61 (English)

The Justice Journal: Vol. 61

A look at cases recently prosecuted by the Dallas County Criminal District Attorney's Office.

Harold Thompson

Murder

Lead: Jerry Varney

Pick: Robin Ogbonna

3rd Chair: Megan Reed

Inv: John Ludwigs

VA: Nathaly Mendez

Additional Support: Valerie Obregon, Miranda Maldonado, Andrea del Bosque

The defendant and victim had been in a dating relationship. The victim became pregnant and chose to terminate the pregnancy, which she had discussed with the defendant.

On the morning of  May 10, 2023, the pair could be seeing arguing on surveillance video as they walked from a nearby apartment complex to the Shell Gas Station on Keeneland Parkway and Walton Walker Fwy. The defendant first put the victim in a headlock before shooting her in the head causing her to fall to the ground. While she was on the ground, he fired two more shots before running. All of this was done in broad daylight in the parking lot of an active gas station. In fact, the victim’s sister had driven by just seconds before the shooting occurred.

The defendant ran from the scene wearing a mask and gloves, but he was later found in a nearby apartment and was arrested by Dallas police.

The victim, who was a mother of three young children, died at the scene.

The jury found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to life in prison.

GUILTY and sentenced to LIFE in prison.

State vs. Trevon Wright

Murder

Lead: Megan Reed

2nd Chair: Caitlin Paver

DA Investigators: Adam Arista

DA Victim Advocate: Nina Adams

Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department

During high school, the defendant and victim dated on and off. In May 2023, the victim learned she was pregnant. Despite rumors about the paternity of the baby, the victim and defendant continued their relationship, and the defendant was present for the birth. Three weeks after the baby was born, the defendant, the victim, and both of their families met at the victim’s house to discuss the results of a paternity test, which showed the defendant was not the father of the baby. The defendant left and went home with his family. Later that day, he begged and pleaded to visit the victim and her baby. The defendant came and went from the victim’s house a few times over the next two days.

On the morning of January 7, 2024, the victim’s mother saw the defendant, the victim, and the baby in the victim’s bedroom, all acting normally, About an hour later, after ensuring the victim’s bedroom door was closed and locked from the inside, the defendant shot the victim in the back of the head as she lay sleeping in her bed with the baby in a bassinet just a few feet away. The defendant then escaped quickly out of the bedroom window, leaving one of his shoes behind and fingerprints on the window. A short time later, the victim’s mother and teenage brother broke down the victim’s bedroom door to find the 17-year-old victim deceased in her bed, with the newborn baby sleeping next to her. The defendant’s cell phone records showed that, after fleeing the scene, he quickly met up with a friend and turned off his phone.

During trial, the defendant testified that he felt suicidal about losing the victim and the baby and that he brought the gun to the victim’s house that day intending to hurt himself. The defendant said the victim tried to stop him from shooting himself and during a struggle, the gun went off, accidentally striking the victim in the back of the head. However, the jury quickly saw through the defendant’s lies and found him guilty of murder.

The jury also saw angry, controlling messages the defendant sent to the victim the months before she was murdered and heard about prior abusive incidents in their relationship. The victim’s family testified about how they have lovingly raised the victim’s daughter, who will grow up without ever knowing her mother. Evidence was presented of the defendant’s gang-affiliation and his previous conviction for robbery. Additionally, the jury heard that within four days of being arrested for the murder, the defendant made phone calls from the jail in which he asked for girls’ phone numbers and discussed how the murder charge would be good for his rap career. The jury swiftly assessed a life sentence.

GUILTY and sentenced to LIFE in prison.

State vs. James Patrick

Murder

Lead: Brandi Mitchell

2nd Chair: Kishwer Lakhani

DA Investigator: John Ludwigs

Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department

The defendant and victim were married. On the night of September 21, 2023, the defendant came to his wife’s apartment from which he had been kicked out. During an argument, the defendant strangled and beat his wife to death. He made no attempt to call for help or report this to the authorities. Instead, he fled to Austin where he was later arrested.

The defendant took the stand claiming self-defense. The jury did not believe him and found him guilty of murder and sentenced him to 72 years in prison.

GUILTY and sentenced 72 years in prison.

State vs. Felipe Ramires

Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child under the age of 14

Lead: Kalle Riner

2nd Chair: Aryanna Bradford

DA Investigator: Laura Brakefield

DA Victim Advocate: Audri Graham

Investigating Agency: Irving Police Department

The defendant was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 14. The entire jury stayed to listen to victim impact statements and to say words of encouragement to the victim and her family.

GUILTY and sentenced to 50 years in prison.

State vs. Rolando Rodriguez

Murder

Lead: Nadin-Sarah Salkic

2nd Chair: Megan Bisacca

DA Investigator: John Valdez & Martin Bosse

DA Paralegal: Patzy Butler

Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department

On the night of November 2nd going into November 3rd, 2022, the victim was staying over at his best friend’s smaller trailer. His best friend owned two trailers, one he was renting out to the defendant and his girlfriend and the other he would use when his friends needed to stay over. The defendant was working at a nearby gas station was his girlfriend was in their trailer. At some point there was an altercation between the defendant’s girlfriend and the victim, there were no witnesses and it is unknown as to how or why the altercation occurred. It was most likely due to the victim going into the wrong trailer. The defendant’s girlfriend called the defendant and very angrily described to him what happened at which point the defendant left the gas station and showed up at the property. He immediately went to confront the victim, who was at this point, in the smaller trailer getting ready to spend the night. The defendant went into the smaller trailer, yelled at the victim, and shot him in the chest. The defendant and his girlfriend fled the scene. They went to the gas station, where the defendant worked, and the defendant stole more than $1,000 worth of cash. They fled to Johnson County where they were arrested five days later with new hairstyles and hiding.

The defendant claimed self-defense from the beginning and provided several different versions of what happened. During trial, the defense attempted to smear the victim’s character just because he was struggling with drugs. The defendant’s girlfriend testified on behalf of the state providing more context as to what happened and ultimately said the victim was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The defendant testified, providing yet another version of the story and again claimed self-defense.

The jury found him guilty in less than 15 minutes. The judge assessed the punishment at 41 years in prison.

GUILTY and sentenced to 41 years in prison.

State vs. Emmett Thompson

Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon

Lead: Jillian Kushner

2nd Chair: Jessica Trevizo

DA Investigators: Jesse Cantu

DA Paralegal: Wanda Ford

Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department

On October 8, 2022, at approximately 9:43 pm, the victim went to record music at a rap studio located on Lucy Street in Dallas. The victim went to that location with his cousin, best friend and his four-year-old nephew. While at the studio, the defendant entered and showed everyone his gun with an illegal switch and said, “if you want to die tonight, come outside.”

Although the victim was carrying a gun, he thought it was best for him and his family to leave the studio to avoid any trouble. As they were walking to the car, the defendant approached the victim, put his gun to the victim’s head and demanded the victim’s gun. After a brief struggle, the victim shot the defendant three times and left the location with his family. The victim later returned, however, to tell police what happened. Dallas police determined the victim acted in self-defense and the defendant was arrested.

The defendant was released from prison eight months prior to this offense for an aggravated robbery.

GUILTY and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

State vs. Diamond Brown

Manslaughter

Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon

Lead: Kristin Treager

2nd Chair: Andrew James

DA Investigator: Ron Cathcart & Bill Martinez

DA Paralegal: Maria Cantrell

Investigating Agency: Irving Police Department

On a Friday afternoon, the defendant drove the wrong way on 635 Westbound into oncoming traffic in an attempt to commit suicide. She also ingested marijuana twice that morning, just prior to driving her vehicle. She crisscrossed multiple lanes of traffic and had been driving in the wrong direction for a little over half a mile. According to her airbag control module, the defendant was increasing her speed in the last five seconds prior to the collision. She was not wearing a seatbelt and did not attempt to avoid the collision as there were no brakes applied and no skid marks. The defendant hit the victim vehicle head-on in the fast lane of traffic at 88 miles per hour. The collision was catastrophic. The forces were such that the engines in both vehicles were ripped out. One victim, the passenger of the victim vehicle, died at the scene. She was just 24 years old, and her family had fled Afghanistan to escape the Taliban during the US war in Afghanistan. The surviving victim, the driver of the victim vehicle, suffered serious bodily injury requiring multiple surgeries. Good Samaritans stopped to help the victims and the defendant after the collision occurred. Several of them testified during the jury trial.

The jury found the defendant guilty as charged on both cases with deadly weapon findings. The defendant was sentenced to 19 years in prison.

GUILTY and sentenced to 19 years in prison.

State vs. Luis Castaneda DeLeon

Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child

Lead: Kalle Riner

2nd Chair: Delayna Griffin

DA Investigator: Crystal Gregan

DA Victim Advocate: Flor de la Fuente

Investigating Agency: Seagoville Police Department

The defendant was convicted of two charges of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child.

GUILTY and sentenced to 15 years in prison on each case.

State vs. Hamidreza Farahbakhshsadeh

Aggravated Sexual Assault

Lead: Haley Pratt

2nd Chair: Tristan DerMargosian

DA Investigator: Abigail Cruz

DA Victim Advocate: Adriana Sellers

Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department

The victim was out with a few friends on a Friday night when they called a Lyft to go home. The defendant, their assigned Lyft Driver, picked up the victim and her friends. The defendant dropped off the other passengers first, leaving the victim alone in the car with the defendant. Rather than drive the victim home, the defendant drove about three miles away from her apartment. The defendant showed the victim a gun, got in the backseat, and proceeded to rape her. The defendant eventually let the victim go, and she ran away and called 911. Despite wanting to forget this ever happened, the victim bravely reported the incident and stuck with the case to hold this defendant accountable. Even though the defendant was probation eligible, the jury sentenced him to twelve years in prison.

GUILTY and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

State vs. Kamron Medlock

Murder

Lead: Sarah Beth DeLay

2nd Chair: Max Ternosky

DA Investigator: Michael Csaszar

DA Paralegal: Stephanie Thompson

Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department

The defendant and victim had been friends since middle school. The two friends made a bet on a Cowboys game and the victim won the bet. The defendant refused to pay the bet, and they began arguing over text messages. The victim repeatedly stated he wanted to fight the defendant to settle the bet, but the defendant escalated the argument when he said he was going to end the victim’s life.

A few days later, the victim and defendant agreed to meet. The victim got out of his car unarmed and the defendant shot the victim 7 times. The defendant fled Dallas County and was not located for more than a month. The defendant took the stand and claimed that the two of them fought over the gun, and the gun somehow discharged and struck the victim. The jury convicted the defendant manslaughter and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

GUILTY of manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years in prison.