The trial of a man accused of helping his 14-year-old son commit murder and evade police custody began this week.
Richard Acosta is on trial for his alleged role in the 2021 shooting deaths of three teens inside a convenience store, where a fourth teen was injured.
Acosta was allegedly the wheelman, driving his son Abel Acosta to the store to commit the murders, and is on trial for capital murder. Investigators allege that Acosta knew that his son was going to commit murder and did nothing to stop him.
Abel, who was 14 at the time, is believed to have been targeting 17-year-old Rafael Garcia and 16-year-old Ivan Noyola, both of whom were killed in the shooting, according to investigators. Xavier Gonzalez, 14, was also shot and killed. He was an innocent bystander, according to police.
Abel is still on the run and is believed to have fled to Mexico with help, according to Garland police. Anyone with information about his location is asked to call 972-485-4869.
In her opening statement on Tuesday, Stephanie Fargo, Dallas County prosecutor, said, “It takes nine seconds for him to fire 20 rounds, shooting and killing those three kids and injuring another. All the while, this defendant has his foot on the brake, the truck in drive, waiting. Actions speak louder than words,” Fargo said, according to WFAA.
Acosta’s attorney, Heath Harris, claimed in his opening statement that Acosta was not involved in Abel’s offense and that the trial was just a charade to draw Abel out of hiding.
“That’s what this is all about. Charging this man with capital murder, trying to lure Abel out,” Harris said, according to WFAA.
Harris claimed that Acosta will take the stand and testify that he drove away from the store because “all he knows is he heard shots fired and he’s trying to get out of there,” according to The Dallas Morning News.
Harris also said that Acosta tried to stop Abel from getting out of the truck.
Office Byron Velasquez, the first police officer on the scene, took the stand and described hearing screaming and crying and seeing “blood and bullet casings everywhere,” according to WFAA. The jury was shown Velasquez’s body camera video.
Noyola’s uncle, Armando Macedonio, gave emotional testimony through a translator about driving Noyola and his friend, Garcia, to get tacos at the convenience store.
Macedonio testified about seeing Abel get out of a white truck, which had struck his own vehicle when it pulled in, and walk towards the store and open fire. Macedonio said, “The truck took off right away. It drives away fast,” according to WFAA.
Garland Police Detective Tony Godwin took the stand next and showed surveillance video of the shooting, causing some family members to exit the courtroom in tears.
Dr. Daniel Butler, who performed the autopsy on Xavier, testified that the youth had been shot 10 times from between 1 and 3 feet away.
Testimony is expected to continue on Wednesday.
A guilty verdict would mean that Acosta could find himself with a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
A violent pattern among juveniles in the metroplex continues to increase, as one of the multiple violent shootings that occurred in Dallas last month involved a teenage girl who allegedly shot and killed an 11-year-old boy in East Oak Cliff.
Dallas has seen a 9.6% increase in violent crime from the beginning of the year to date.
