[10], Laura Strickland was charged with tampering with evidence. DNA evidence was collected from the bodies at this time. "I struggle with [post-traumatic stress disorder] and anxiety. One girl is dead and another in serious condition after a mysterious shooting in a normally peaceful town. The chief described the fathers preliminary actions in general terms. A series of fortunate events has led us to this point and I'm just very happy that we could help in at least at this point in bringing him to justice., Hes a stone cold killer who thought he got away with murder, but will finally pay for his crime, said Robert R. Almonte, United States Marshal for the Western District of Texas. McFadden had been convicted of rape three times between 1972 and 1978, but never had to serve his full sentence. Since joining the Houston Chronicle staff in 1998, she has covered various beats, including criminal courts and transportation. Dateline originally aired an episode on the case in 2017 after a San Patricio County Judge found David Strickland, a Portland, Texas, man, guilty of capital murder. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. [3], Other evidence included in the arrest warrant included the fact that a gun in Strickland's possession was matched to bullet casings at the crime scene. Due to the attacks brutal nature, it received heavy media coverage and resulted in public outrage. Rachel Timson and Sarah Dime embrace during a vigil. First responders discovered Mollie Olgin and her girlfriend Mary Kristene Chapa. The Caller-Times is withholding the man's name as it's unclear if he's been arrested and charged with a crime. David Malcolm Strickland, 27, was arrested Friday by U.S. Mollie Olgin was a 19-year-old woman murdered on June 22, 2012 in Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas after she and her girlfriend were attacked and shot. In 2019, one of Strickland's attorneys said a man from Nevada, whose DNA was found at the scene, was actually responsible for the crime. The case garnered national attention and sparked outrage amongst the public, as homophobia initially was suspected to be a motivating factor in the crime. Samantha Garrett, Olgins roommate, said that the couple had not received any threats or hateful remarks about their new relationship. After an investigation, police confirmed that Garza shot his child and wife, and then took his own life shortly after hanging up with Portland PD. While Mollie Olgin died, her girlfriend, Mary Kristene Chapa, miraculously survived. Under the police timeline, the father killed his family, made the 911 call and then died by suicide. Garza shot both Phillips and Eli twice, Cory said. Portland, OR 97006 (503) 906-1249; "While we know the community has many questions, this is still an active investigation and we would not want to do anything to jeopardize the case," Portland Police Chief Gary Giles said in a news release. Elizabeth Valadez of Corpus Christi, Texas, writes a message on one of the posts Friday, June 29, 2012 as other friends and supporters write messages on a large sheet behind her during a vigil for teens Mollie Olgin and Mary Kristene Chapa at Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas. Two young women believed to be in a romantic relationship were apparently shot by a mysterious assailant in Portland, Texas Friday night. Strickland told investigators that Olgin and Chapa were rude to his wife, who was a server at Chili's, and he followed them back to the park where he shot them, but prosecutors believed Olgin and Chapa did not visit Chili's the night of the shooting. U.S. WebCrime rate in Portland, TX The 2019 crime rate in Portland, TX is 110 (City-Data.com crime index), which is 2.4 times lower than the U.S. average. He is charged with capital murder, aggravated sexual assault and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the 2012 attack on Mollie Olgin and Mary Kristene Chapa. Police have not identified any suspects or announced any arrests. Once investigators issued arrest warrants for the Stricklands, they asked the U.S. [9] A draft of the letter to the Chapa family was found on Strickland's computer. I stared at him, right, whenever I was testifying, and not one look. People write messages of support on a banner during a vigil for Mollie Judith Olgin, 19, and Mary Kristene Chapa, 18, at Cal Anderson Park on Friday, June 29, 2012. Strickland was sentenced to life in prison without parole, but the new Dateline episode suggests new DNA evidence could prove someone else was to blame. So, lets find out what happened to David then, shall we? [10], David Strickland and his wife Laura Strickland were arrested on June 20, 2014 and held at San Patricio County jail. [8] In October 1999, he was executed in the Huntsville Unit by lethal injection. Olgin had already died of a gunshot wound to the head, and Chapa was in grave condition but survived to tell about the ordeal. Chapa was 18 years old in June 2012 when she and her girlfriend Mollie Olgin were shot in the head execution-style at Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas. Olgin died at the scene and Chapa is in stable condition in the hospital. A couple out bird watching the next morning found the girls Olgin had died but Chapa, who tried to claw her way out of the thorny brush, was alive. When police arrived, they found the front door open, and found a family of three, 5-year-old Eli Garza, 36-year-old Jennifer Phillips, and 52-year-old Roel Garza dead in the child's bedroom. Crimes scene investigators take evidence back to their vans Saturday, June 23, 2012 at Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas. The crime went unsolved for about two years before police shifted their focus to Stickland in 2014 after learning about a letter addressed to Chapa's father written from the perspective of a hitman. Police said Hlavka had been sexually assaulted and strangled with the electric cord from her clock radio.[1]. McFadden was executed in Texas in October 1999 for the murders of three other women. A man murdered his wife and young son, made a cryptic 911 call and died by suicide, according to police in Portland, Texas. We know fromMollies parents that they were close, he said. The two teenagers were found in tall grass on a park overlook in the small town near Corpus Christi, where one of the two victims attended school. A poster depicting Kristene Chapa and her girlfriend Mollie Judith Olgin, at the Chapa residence on June 11, 2013 in Corpus Christi, TX. He then sexually assaulted and shot them. In a Nov. 30 motion that was previously sealed, Strickland's attorney Cynthia Orr argues a different man whose DNA was found at thescene and on the surviving victimis actually responsible for the crime. Kristene Chapa's girlfriend died from the 2012 attack. These items were turned over to investigators in the Olgin case. More:Court document: David Strickland denied appeal in killing of Mollie Olgin in 2012, More:Defense: New DNA results exonerate man convicted in 2012 double shooting in Portland, More:'Truth About Murder with Sunny Hostin' episode about 2012 Portland attack of teens to air, Ashlee Burns covers trending and breaking news in South Texas. In the days after the attack, police said the women were known to be in a dating relationship but there was no evidence that the attack was motivated by their sexual orientation. Portland, Oregons, homicide rate soared a staggering 1,900% in 2021, with 20 killings, compared with one during the first three months of 2020. Roel Garza, 52, allegedly shot and killed wife Jennifer Phillips, 36, and their sonEli Garza, 5. PORTLAND, Texas A husband, wife and their five-year-old son are dead after a murder suicide in the City of Portland, according to police. David Malcolm Strickland, 27, was arrested Friday by U.S. Neighbors described Jennifer Phillips as, in the words of KRIS-TV, the heart of the community, and Eli as a playful soul., [Screengrab of memorial for Jennifer Phillips and Eli Garza at their home via KIII], Have a tip we should know? Olgin died and Chapa continues to recover after the two were shot June 23 at the park. Attorneys for convicted killer David Strickland are asking for a hearing along with records they hope will prove someone else was to blame for the 2012 double shooting in a Portland park. According to police, around 1:30 a.m., a man called 911 and told officers he was distraught and to go to Escondido St. Ive been trying to think of anybody I know that would try and hurt them for any reason, Garrett said, and not one person comes to mind.. Here's the latest. Teen lesbian couple found shot in Texas park, A Visual History of the Gay-Rights Movement, 13-Year-Old Girl Finds Porn On New Cell Phone, These Are North Koreas 28 State-Approved Hairstyles, Mountain Dews Dub the Dew Online Poll Goes Horribly Wrong. She has recovered those abilities but was still recently undergoing physical rehabilitation. Though he was suspected by police for two years, hewas never charged in the case. Roel Garza, 52, allegedly shot and killed wife Jennifer Phillips, 36, and their son Eli Garza, 5. Olgin, 19, and her girlfriend Chapa, 18, were found shot in the head Saturday in a Portland, Tx park. The following morning, a couple discovered the bodies of the two women in knee-high grass near a scenic lookout in the park, police said. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. [12][14][15], Attorneys for Strickland filed a motion for his conviction to be overturned based on the newfound DNA evidence, which District Attorney Sam Smith dismissed on an updated episode of Dateline. David Malcolm Strickland, 27, was arrested Friday by U.S. U.S. Nearly two years after a teenager and her girlfriend were both shot in the head on a grassy hillside in South Texas, killing one of them and leaving the other with serious injuries, authorities have arrested a man in the attack. Portland PD says the investigation is ongoing. When questioned about the letter, the Layton man noted a photo of him included in the letter had been taken by Strickland's wife Laura. Chapa had to relearn how to walk, talk and even smile again after the attack, she said, noting that she's now "doing well" overall. The teenagers were shot execution-style and left for dead in a park in Portland, Texas. Jason Haas and Veronika Fimbres embrace during a vigil. It was written from the perspective of a hitman who claimed that someone from Layton, Utah, was responsible for the attacks and had wanted Kristene dead. They said incidents like this are rare, with the last being five years ago. He called 911 on Saturday at about 1:30 a.m., but he did not reveal much, cops said, according to KIII-TV. Sister Peggy Ritual and Jason Haas share a moment of silence at a vigil. The city carved $16 million, or 7%, out of its police budget last year. A man murdered his wife and young son, made a cryptic 911 call and died by suicide, according to police in Portland, Texas. The type of DNA testing being done uses technology that wasn't available at the time of Strickland's trial. The document also requestedthe results of DNA testing conducted ona pubic hair that was found onChapa's body. David remains incarcerated at the William G. McConnell Unit in Beeville, Texas. This is a carousel. People run under a giant rainbow flag after a vigil for Mollie Judith Olgin, 19, and Mary Kristene Chapa, 18, at Cal Anderson Park on Friday, June 29, 2012. Cops found three people dead inside the childs bedroom: Jennifer Phillips, Eli Garza and the perpetrator Roel Garza. Chapa spoke on Tuesday to "The View's" co-hosts including Sunny Hostin, host of the show "Truth About Murder," who revisits the investigation with Chapa about the attack, her miraculous recovery and testifying during Strickland's trial. 0:59 David Strickland was not the person who killed a 19-year-old in a Portland park, and new DNA evidence proves it, attorneys for Strickland say. Roel Garza, 52, allegedly shot and killed wife Jennifer Phillips, 36, and their son Eli Garza, 5. 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