State vs. Stephen Selmon
Murder
Lead: LaQuita Long
2nd Chair: Mackensie Pfleger
DA Investigator: Maria Carrera
DA Victim Advocate: Shanika Davis & Sydney Yrlas
DA Paralegal: Sherrie Lacy
Additional Support: Valerie Obregon, Christin Noebel
Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department
On June 26, 2025, at approximately 1:30 pm, the defendant called 911 from Wichita, Kansas, claiming that his girlfriend “appeared to be dead” and he was being framed for murder.
A day earlier on June 25, 2025, around 10:00 pm, a neighbor reported hearing an argument and physical altercation between the victim and the defendant at their apartment complex in Dallas. The neighbor did not contact law enforcement at the time, stating that the couple frequently argued and fought. However, upon learning of the victim’s death, the neighbor immediately informed Dallas police, “the boyfriend did it.”
During the investigation, the defendant told police that he had been drugged with Visine and suggested that someone must have attacked the victim while he was asleep. The defendant provided multiple inconsistent and implausible versions of events. Additionally, forensic testing, confirmed that the had not been drugged, and no foreign DNA was found in the apartment – only the defendant’s.
The State also introduced evidence of a prior assault by the defendant against the victim in in Licking County, Ohio, in addition to testimony from two other victims of domestic violence involving the defendant.
GUILTY and sentenced to LIFE in prison.
State vs. Julio Guerrero
Murder
Lead: Julie Johnson
2nd Chair: Megan Reed
DA Investigators: Eugene Reyes, Tom McGrath, Scott Sayers, Jesse Cantu, Garrick Whaley, Lupita Rendon, Jimmy Ivy, Lorraine Resendez & more
DA Victim Advocate: Viviana Monroy
Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department
The defendant shot and killed a father of five at a night club just for bumping into him. Eight days later he went to a gas station, got offended that a father with his kids in the car told him to slow down, and shot five times at him. One of those shots hit the dad’s three-year-old daughter in the head while she sat in her car seat. His two other children were also in the car.
When Detective Scott Sayers realized his homicide suspect was also the suspect in the Aggravated Assault of the three-year old, the US Marshals were sent to arrest him. While there to arrest him, the defendant raised his weapon and causing two officers to discharge their firearms. SWAT ultimately had a several-hour standoff before taking him into custody.
GUILTY and sentenced to LIFE in prison.
State vs. Joseph Slade
Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child under 14
Lead: Delayna Griffin
2nd Chair: Summer Elmazi
DA Investigators: Crystal Gregan & Walter Clifton Jr.
DA Victim Advocate: Flor De La Fuente
Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department
The defendant committed and was found guilty of continuous acts of sexual abuse.
GUILTY and sentenced to LIFE in prison without the possibility of parole.
State vs. Jorge Torres
Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child under 14
Lead: Megan Bisacca
2nd Chair: Deborah Bankhead
DA Investigator: Crystal Gregan
DA Victim Advocate: Flor De La Fuente
Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department
The defendant was found guilty of continuously sexually abusing a child under the age of 14.
GUILTY and sentenced to LIFE in prison without the possibility of parole.
State vs. Sedrick Johnson
Injury to a Child by Failing to Seek Medical Attention
Lead: Rachel Burris
2nd Chair: Jacob Zachariah
DA Investigator: Ryan Rodriguez
Investigating Agency: Dallas Police Department
CPS placed 18-month-old CJ in the care of his paternal aunt. What CPS didn’t know was that she was living with her boyfriend, the defendant, and their six children. CJ, being a toddler, would get into things and to keep him from doing so, the defendant admitted to “swaddling” him in a blanket. On July 10, 2019, the defendant claimed to have done that when CJ started making “sounds” and throwing up. The defendant said he tried clear CJ’s airway and perform CPR on CJ for 30-40 minutes, even putting CJ in the tub to help revive him. Having never sought assistance and seeing these efforts failing, the defendant wrapped CJ in a blanket, drove a few miles to Garland, and put CJ in a dumpster. CJ was found the next day in a landfill.
This case did go on appeal on the voluntariness of the defendant’s statement. The DA’s Office Appellate Division, specifically Russell Anderson, working hard and taking the case all the way to the Court of Criminal Appeals, were able to get an erroneous ruling by a former judge overruled, and the case was able to proceed to trial.
After six years of waiting, the victim’s family received good news that the defendant would be held responsible by being found guilty of Injury to a Child by Failing to Seek Medical Attention on June 18. On June 20, the jury sentenced him to 20 years in prison for this heinous crime.
GUILTY and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
State vs. Obed Mengistu
Trafficking of Persons <18
Lead: Klarissa Diaz
2nd Chair: Soinkne Lewis
3rd Chair: Haley Pratt
DA Investigator: Abigail Cruz
DA Victim Advocate: Roquel Mayhorn
Investigating Agency: Garland Police Department, Texas DPS, FBI
After a cyber tip stated a missing juvenile victim was observed in sexually explicit advertisements for commercial sex, Texas DPS special agents were able to obtain a geo locate on the phone number associated with the commercial sex advertisement. DPS Special Agents, Garland PD, and the FBI were able to link the phone number to the defendant and later located the defendant leaving an apartment in Garland with the missing juvenile. The defendant was found to be trafficking the missing juvenile who was under the age of 18. The missing juvenile was recovered and offered serviced by Traffick911, which she refused and shortly thereafter returned to her trafficker.
Prior to the trial, the victim gave birth to the defendant’s child and refused to cooperate with the State. The defendant was such a manipulative and convincing trafficker, a Romeo pimp, that the victim actually testified for him at trial. With the testimony of survivor leader and trafficking expert, Rebecca Bender, the jury was able to learn about various human trafficking concepts including why victims of trafficking stay with their traffickers.
The jury found the defendant guilty in less than one hour and sentenced him to 20 years in prison.
GUILTY and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
