The Justice Journal: Vol. 64 (English)

The Justice Journal: Vol. 64

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

State vs. Juan Zavala Lopez

Murder

Lead: Max Ternosky

2nd Chair: Kristen Jackson

DA Investigator: Michael Csaszar

DA Paralegal: Stephanie Thompson

Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department

The defendant chased his roommates down in his truck and fired a handgun 13 times through their passenger window and windshield, giving the victim no time to even unbuckle his seatbelt. Unfortunately for the defendant, two Dallas Police Officers happened to be driving by as he was firing at the victim. When they intervened, the defendant fired at the officers as well and then fled the scene. After a short vehicle chase, he swung a U-turn in his truck, drove back, and continued firing at the officers, hitting one in the chest – narrowly missing his bulletproof vest.

At trial, the defendant tried to say the victim, his 60-year-old roommate, urinated on his bed as a joke, and that’s what drove him into a murderous rage. It took the jury 40 minutes to come back with a life sentence.

GUILTY and sentenced to LIFE in prison.

State vs. Tiffany Williams

Injury to a Child with Intent to Cause Serious Bodily Injury

Lead: Kristen vanBolden

2nd Chair: Summer Elmazi

3rd Chair: Michelle Shughart

DA Investigators: Laura Brakefield with assistance from several other Crimes Against Children Investigators

DA Victim Advocate: Shanika Davis & Nathaly Mendez

Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department

The defendant beat and tortured the 4-year-old victim daily until just two months after his 5th birthday, when he succumbed to his injuries.

During her interview with police, the defendant provided four different timelines of events and admitted to causing the child’s injuries but not his ultimate death. At trial, the defendant testified that everything she said in her interview was a lie, and she then provided a fifth timeline of events, accepting no responsibility for the child’s injuries.

GUILTY and sentenced to LIFE in prison.

State vs. Reynaldo Herrera

Murder

Lead: Sasha Stribling

2nd Chair: Zack Brown

DA Investigators: Reggie Wood & Jesse Cantu

DA Paralegal: Madelein Garcia

DA Victim Advocates: Franchesca Zarate & Melinda Shelton

Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department

The defendant and the victim were friends for about 15 years. Four years before the murder, the defendant thought the victim was having an affair with his wife. Nowhere was this found to be true, even the defendant told detectives he did not believe it to be true. About 3-4 months before the murder, the defendant pulled a gun on the victim and threatened to kill him and had to be separated by friends.

On December 24, 2021, the defendant was at a local bar hanging out with some friends in the back parking lot. When the victim arrived in the parking lot, the defendant immediately went inside. The victim stayed outside talking with some friends for about ten minutes. The defendant then exited the bar and shot the victim nine times. After shooting the victim, the defendant walked away, got in his truck, and left. A few days later, after abandoning his truck, the defendant fled to California, where he remained for over a year and a half.

On September 24, 2023, the defendant was apprehended in Dallas.

The jury heard that the victim was a single father of five children and sentenced the defendant to 80 years in prison.

GUILTY and sentenced to 80 years in prison.

 State vs. Osvaldo Cristobal

Contested Probation Violation Hearing – Manufacture and Delivery of a Controlled Substance PG 1 >=400G & Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon

Lead: Rachel Champion

DA Investigators: Richard Forness and Catherine Justice

DA Victim Advocate: Melodie Alexander

The defendant was on 8 years deferred adjudication for Manufacture and Delivery of a Controlled Substance >=400G and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. While on probation, the defendant violated probation by committing the new offense of Assault Family Member Impede Breath/Circulation.

During the hearing, the victim testified that the defendant assaulted her for hours before she was able to escape and call the police.

The Judge found the defendant had violated his probation and sentenced the defendant to 40 years in prison for the Manufacture and Delivery of a Controlled Substance >=400G case and 20 years TDC for the Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon case.

Probation Revoked and sentenced to 40 years in prison for Man/Del of a Controlled Substance + 20 years in prison for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.

State vs. Rene Maganas

Possession of a Controlled Substance

Evading with a Prior

Lead: William Davison

2nd Chair: Jui Kothare

DA Investigators: Tom Naulty, Bonita Morgan

On June 19, 2024, officers responded to a FLOCK hit on a stolen car. They observed two males near the car and moved in to arrest them at the entrance of a gas station. The defendant ran as soon as police vehicles pulled up. One officer chased the defendant and saw him discard numerous items as he ran across a service road and four lanes of highway. With the help of a covert officer, the defendant was arrested within minutes on the other side of the highway by more uniformed officers. The officer who began the pursuit found numerous items on the ground discarded by the defendant. The items included 15 grams of methamphetamine as well as the defendant’s wallet with ID.

The jury came back with a guilty verdict on both cases in about 30 minutes. The defendant elected to go to the judge for punishment. The defendant has a long criminal history, including the more recent offense of evading on foot while possessing methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl. The State proved up two enhancement paragraphs. The defendant is also a documented member of Tango Blast.

GUILTY and sentenced to 30 years in prison for the possession charge and 10 years in prison for the evading charge.

State vs. Travis King Ellison

Manufacture of Delivery of a Controlled Substance, PG 1 >=4G<200G

Lead: Mason Rodriguez

2nd Chair: Michael Chang

DA Investigator: Eddie Lopez

Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department

Dallas Police became interested in a trap house in South Dallas after seeing a line of people at the side door who then scattered after they saw a marked squad car.

After further investigation, the officer obtained a search warrant for the house. Minutes before SWAT executed the warrant, the defendant was seen walking into the trap house wearing flame-printed shorts, a green backpack, and carrying a plate of food. After SWAT cleared the house, the officer searched the green backpack and found about 60 grams of crack cocaine and about 5 grams of meth along with the defendant’s photo ID. On the kitchen table, the officer also found the plate of food that the defendant was seen carrying inside. Next to the food, there was more crack cocaine.

GUILTY and sentenced to 15 years in prison + $1,000 fine.

State vs. Chris Johnson

Aggravated Sexual Assault x 2

Aggravated Kidnapping

Lead: Tristan DerMargosian

2nd Chair: Klarissa Diaz

DA Investigator: Abigail Cruz

DA Victim Advocate: Adrianna Sellers

Investigating Agency: Garland Police Department

The 66-year-old victim was walking to the bus stop on her way to work at 4:30 in the morning when the defendant kidnapped her. The defendant broke the victim’s hip during the kidnapping. The defendant proceeded to take the victim to an abandoned construction site, where he sexually assaulted her. After the initial sex assault, the defendant left the victim at the construction site where she was able to call the police. Before the police arrived, the defendant showed back up and was caught on scene when the police got there.

GUILTY and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

State vs. Preston Burkley

Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child

Lead: Megan Bisacca

2nd Chair: Philip Teissier

DA Investigator: Joseph Mundy

DA Victim Advocate: Yvonne Macias

Investigating Agency: Mesquite Police Department

The defendant was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 14.

GUILTY and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

State vs. Jessica West

Manslaughter

Lead: Vehicular Crimes Unit

2nd Chair: Priscilla Pelli

DA Investigators: William Martinez and Ronald Cathcart

DA Paralegal: Maria Cantrell

Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department

A few days before Christmas in 2020, the victim, a retired US Army Veteran who served in active combat in the Persian Gulf War, was on his way work.  Meanwhile, the defendant, who had consumed a large quantity of prescription Adderall, was driving the wrong way on Interstate 30 just east of downtown Dallas.  In the last moments before the collision, the victim tried to swerve to avoid the defendant.  There were no skid marks made by the defendant’s vehicle, indicating she did not try to avoid the collision. The driver’s side front quarter panels of each vehicle collided, and the victim’s driver’s side was sheared away.  Good Samaritans stopped to help. The victim was still alive as he was taken by ambulance to the hospital and died shortly thereafter. The eyewitness who stopped and checked on the defendant described her as looking very high. The defendant was treated at the hospital for her injuries. Toxicology confirmed a high amount of amphetamine in her system, well over the therapeutic amount.

During trial, the defense argued that the defendant’s prescription was subject to an FDA manufacturer recall and that she unknowingly consumed a super potent prescription. The jury rejected the theory of involuntary intoxication as her medical records were consistent with someone who intentionally took too much prescription medication to get high.

The jury found her guilty as charged with an affirmative finding that a deadly weapon (a motor vehicle) was used during the commission of the offense. The defendant had no criminal history and was probation eligible, but after the punishment phase, the jury sentenced the defendant to 10 years in prison.    

GUILTY and sentenced to 10 years in prison + a deadly weapon finding.

State vs. Boanerges Benitez Cruz

Collision Involving Death

Prosecutor: Vehicular Crimes Unit

DA Investigators: William Martinez & Ronald Cathcart

DA Paralegal: Maria Cantrell

Investigating Agency: Irving Police Department

On October 19, 2022, the defendant was leaving a church service and heading home in his 2000 Toyota Echo. In the area of Irving Boulevard and Church Street, the defendant struck a 75-year-old woman who was crossing the road. The defendant immediately fled the scene of the collision. Good Samaritans captured the license plate of the suspect vehicle. Irving Police officers ran the motor vehicle registration and went to the apartment complex where the vehicle was registered. Police located the vehicle in the parking lot of the complex, which matched the description given by witnesses at the scene. There was heavy damage to the vehicle, including a large concave dent in the hood, a completely shattered windshield, and a dent in the roof as a result of the victim tumbling up and over his vehicle. The defendant admitted he was the driver and that he thought he had hit a bicyclist; he never stopped to check on the victim and did not call for emergency assistance.

The defendant had no criminal history and was eligible for probation. After hearing witnesses for the State and Defense, the judge sentenced him to 7 years in prison.

GUILTY plea and sentenced to 7 years in prison.

State vs. Carme Guerrero

Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon x 5

Manslaughter

Collision Involving Death

Collision Involving Serious Bodily Injury x 5

Lead: Vehicular Crimes Unit

DA Investigators: William Martinez and Ronald Cathcart

DA Paralegal: Maria Cantrell

The victims, college-age co-eds, were out celebrating a friend’s birthday and made the responsible choice to have a designated driver. They were on their way back to a friend’s apartment, about two minutes from their destination, when they were stopped at a red light on the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. The defendant, who had just attended a concert and was driving a borrowed F150, was speeding at 70 mph shortly before rear-ending the victim's vehicle. Crash data retrieval showed the defendant only attempted to brake at the point of impact. Witnesses at the scene described the defendant as wearing clubbing shoes and appearing to be intoxicated.

The defendant fled the scene and was not arrested until a week later. One victim died from her injuries, but she saved several others as she was an organ donor. Another victim barely survived and, after undergoing several life-saving surgeries, is in a neurological rehabilitation facility to learn how to walk and talk again. The remaining victims experienced varying degrees of serious bodily injury, with several having to receive emergency surgery.

DNA comparison from the defendant’s buccal swab showed a 1 in 10 trillion match for the red lipstick print left on the pickup’s deployed driver airbag.  This confirmed the defendant as the driver of the suspect vehicle, which caused the collision.

The defendant pleaded guilty to all 12 cases and was sentenced to 18 years of prison (maximum of 20) with a deadly weapon finding.

GUILTY plea and sentenced to 18 years in prison + a deadly weapon finding.