Solved case · 1971
The short answer
On February 15, 1971, Rene Guzman and Leonardo Lopez abducted five Dallas County and Ellis County sheriff's deputies during a burglary investigation in West Dallas, Texas, killing three of them near the Trinity River. Both men were convicted and sentenced to death, later retried and given life sentences after the death penalty was ruled unconstitutional.
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Suggest coverage for 1971 shooting of Dallas police officersOn the afternoon of February 15, 1971, Ellis County deputies A.J. Robertson and Wendell Dover traveled to Dallas to investigate a burglary near Bristol, Texas, after a resident recorded the license plate of a suspicious car. They were joined by Dallas County deputies Samuel Infante, William Reese, and A.D. McCurley at a home on Ingersoll Street, where Rene Guzman and Leonardo Lopez were seated in the yard. After being invited inside, the officers were disarmed and bound at gunpoint by Guzman and Lopez. All five officers were eventually forced into a county squad car and driven to a site near the Trinity River.
At the riverbank, the officers attempted to free themselves and resist. Reese and Infante were shot and killed after struggling with the gunmen. Dover and Robertson fled but were pursued; Robertson was shot and killed, and Dover was shot but survived. McCurley escaped by diving over the riverbank and later flagged down help, alerting authorities to the shootings.
A large manhunt involving over 400 officers followed. Rene Guzman's brother, Moises Guzman, was arrested the next day and gave a statement describing events at the house, though he denied participating in the killings. An informant led police to a boarding house, and on February 19, a raid at an apartment complex on San Jacinto Street resulted in the arrest of Guzman and Lopez. During the raid, officers shot Thomas Rodriguez and his pregnant wife, Berta, who lived in the building; no drugs were found in their apartment despite the sheriff's claims that Rodriguez supplied heroin to the suspects. Two women, Alice Rosales and Angie Hernandez, were charged as accessories for allegedly hindering the raid.
Both Guzman and Lopez confessed to the killings following their arrests. They were tried in Belton, Texas, after a change of venue, first for the murder of Robertson. In June 1971, a jury convicted both men and sentenced them to death. In 1973, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the convictions following the U.S. Supreme Court's Furman v. Georgia decision, which temporarily invalidated the death penalty, and due to improper remarks made by the prosecutor during closing arguments.
Guzman and Lopez were retried in 1974 for the murders of Robertson, Reese, and Infante in three separate trials. They were found guilty in each case and sentenced to life in prison, receiving four life sentences in total. Thomas Rodriguez was later indicted on charges related to the raid but the charges were dropped in 1972; he separately pursued a civil damages suit against Dallas officials, which was also unsuccessful.
Rene Guzman died in prison on August 15, 2021. Leonardo Lopez was paroled in December 1990 after multiple parole requests, expressing remorse in interviews, but was later returned to prison for parole violations. He died on August 6, 2017.
Deputies Robertson, Dover, Infante, Reese, and McCurley are abducted at a home on Ingersoll Street, Dallas; three are shot and killed near the Trinity River.
Rene Guzman and his brother Moises Guzman are charged with murder with malice; Moises is arrested.
Police raid an apartment complex on San Jacinto Street and arrest Guzman and Lopez; Thomas Rodriguez and his pregnant wife are shot during the raid.
Trial begins in Belton, Texas, for the murder of Arthur Robertson.
Guzman and Lopez are convicted of Robertson's murder and sentenced to death.
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturns the convictions following Furman v. Georgia and due to improper prosecutorial remarks.
Retrial for Robertson's murder begins in Belton, Texas; Guzman and Lopez are convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Retrial for the murder of William Reese begins; both defendants are convicted and given life sentences.
Retrial for the murder of Samuel Infante concludes; both defendants are convicted and given a second life sentence each.
Leonardo Lopez is granted parole after nine requests.
Leonardo Lopez dies in prison after being returned for parole violations.
Rene Guzman dies in prison.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Dallas County Sheriff's deputy who survived the shooting and escaped to summon help.[3]
Ellis County Sheriff's deputy killed during the February 15, 1971 abduction and shooting.[3]
Dallas County Sheriff's deputy killed during the February 15, 1971 abduction and shooting.[3]
Ellis County Sheriff's deputy who was shot and survived the attack.[3]
Dallas County Sheriff's deputy killed during the February 15, 1971 abduction and shooting.[3]
Convicted of the murders of Robertson, Reese, and Infante; initially sentenced to death, later given four life sentences after retrial; paroled in 1990 and later reincarcerated for parole violations.[3]
Convicted of the murders of Robertson, Reese, and Infante; initially sentenced to death, later given four life sentences after retrial.[3]
Charged as an accessory to murder for allegedly resisting officers during the raid that led to the arrest of Guzman and Lopez.[3]
Charged as an accessory to murder for allegedly resisting officers during the raid that led to the arrest of Guzman and Lopez.[3]
From the record
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