Glad I am not the only one that thinks this makes no sense.
Yes, I agree. Let me see if I'm tracking this case correctly. So Xavier Ramon Hernandez-Hankins was shot in the head per security video while walking on the sidewalk.
The original facts as reported by MSM:
[...]
On November 5th, police reports say Xavier Ramon Hernandez-Hankins was gunned down on the sidewalk on West Illinois near South Cockrell Hill Road.
Police learned that Hernadez had been seen with Rubi Esparza and Basilio Tovar at a club that night. Hernandez reportedly left and Tovar and Esparza went looking for him.
Police documents suggest that security video showed what happened next. Hernandez was walking along Illinois when a truck pulled up alongside. Suddenly, the passenger door opens and someone shoots Hernandez in the head.
Detectives say Tovar was in the passenger seat while Esparza was driving because she had not been drinking. A license plate reader identified the vehicle which was registered to Esparza.
Additionally, mobile phone records put both Esparza and Tovar at the scene at the moment when Hernandez was shot.
[...]
Couple jailed in November shooting death in west Oak Cliff
According to this MSM report, Tovar was intoxicated at the time of the shooting:
Husband, wife arrested in death of man fatally shot on west Oak Cliff sidewalk
[...]
According to the affidavit, Hernandez, Tovar and Esparza were together at a bar earlier that night when a witness said Hernandez “became upset” and left. When Tovar and Esparza couldn’t find him outside the bar, they got into a black pickup and went to look for him.
A witness said Esparza was driving that night because she hadn’t been drinking, according to the affidavit. Tovar, who the affidavit said was intoxicated, was in the passenger seat.
According to surveillance video and witness interviews, the pickup pulled up to Hernandez, who was walking on the sidewalk, before the passenger door opened and a gunshot rang out, the affidavit says.
A license plate reader near the scene of the shooting identified the pickup as being registered to Esparza, and phone records also placed the couple at the location when the shooting occurred, according to the affidavit.
[...]
Now, the latest MSM report that I've seen says this:
[...]
The husband and wife jailed earlier this month in the slaying of a 29-year-old man in west Oak Cliff were released after an attorney revealed a series of discrepancies in the evidence that led to their arrest.
Rubi Esparza, 33, and Basilio Tovar, 50, were booked into the Dallas County jail Dec. 19 on one count each of murder. Esparza was released Thursday night, while Tovar was released Friday.
“Obviously it was a mistake by police,” said Chris Mulder, an attorney representing Tovar. “I’m just glad that they had an open mind and listened, otherwise these people would have been sitting in jail until the trial.”
Police confirmed that the charges against Esparza and Tovar would be dropped.
Detectives’ preliminary investigation led to probable cause to believe the pair were involved in the death of Xavier Ramon Hernandez-Hankins, Dallas police spokeswoman Kristin Lowman said. “Upon further investigation, it was determined they did not commit the crime,” she said.
[...]
So we know Hernandez was shot in the head and died, but Tovar and Esparza have been released?
MOO, but it seems very odd that LE would arrest Tovar and Esparaza based on both witness statements and security video of the shooting, and then abruptly release them, saying they "did not commit the crime".
Not sure what to make of this. Very strange.
www.audacy.com
SBM
Mulder claims there is another POI. It'll be interesting to see what happens with that part of the ongoing investigation. I'll look around a bit later to see what I can find.
