His attorney, Cynthia Orr, told the Caller-Times that the type of DNA testing technology that would be conducted on a piece of pubic hair found on Chapa was not available during the time of Strickland's trial. Roel Garza, 52, allegedly shot and killed wife Jennifer Phillips, 36, and their son Eli Garza, 5. Members and supporters of the gay community held a vigil on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif., at the corner of Castro and Market Streets for Mollie Olgin and Mary Kristene Chapa, two lesbian teens who were shot on Friday near Corpus Christi, Texas. Please keep us in your prayers.. Though he was suspected by police for two years, hewas never charged in the case. The Portland, Texas couple was found shot in the head on Saturday, June 23. Just come now, Roel Garza said in 911 audio obtained by KRIS-TV. He called 911 on Saturday at about 1:30 a.m., but he did not reveal much, cops said, according to KIII-TV. The Layton man was tracked down, but he had a solid alibi for the night of the murder. See our subscription options and special offers at Caller.com/subscribe. So, lets find out what happened to David then, shall we? Carol Christian reports on breaking news for chron.com. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. According to police, around 1:30 a.m., a man called 911 and told officers he was distraught and to go to Escondido St. On May 4, 1986, McFadden kidnapped 20-year-old Gena Turner, 19-year-old Bryan Boone, and 18-year-old Suzanne Harrison as they took a trip to Lake Hawkins north of Tyler, Texas. Members and supporters of the gay community held a vigil on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif., at the corner of Castro and Market Streets for Mollie Olgin and Mary Kristene Chapa, two lesbian teens who were shot on Friday near Corpus Christi, Texas. In August 1986, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the escape. December 17, 2021 In June 2012, a young teenage couple was found shot in a park in Portland, Texas. Vigils were held across the county by the LGBT community, and some suspected the case could be a hate crime. 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. This evidence included .45-caliber firearms, handcuffs, ammunition, a lock pick kit, bolt cutters, and other suspicious items. Police have not identified any suspects or announced any arrests. First responders discovered Mollie Olgin and her girlfriend Mary Kristene Chapa. 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. 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? "My family was there with me, and then my mom she was a big part of it," Kristene Chapa said. His sentence will automatically be appealed. Authorities didn't investigate the fatal attack as a hate crime even though the incident happened during Pride weekend. Could David Strickland be exonerated in 2012 Portland double shooting? Olgin died from her wounds, but Chapa is currently recovering in a local hospital. She is charged with tampering with evidence in connection with the 2012 attack on Mollie Olgin and Mary Kristene Chapa. Once investigators issued arrest warrants for the Stricklands, they asked the U.S. Chapa suffered tunnel vision and lost part of her mobility. 2023 www.caller.com. Carol got started in journalism while teaching English in Poland during martial law. Olgin had already died of a gunshot wound to the head, and Chapa was in grave condition but survived to tell about the ordeal. The Portland Police Department released this sketch July 13, 2012, in the attack on Mollie Olgin and Mary Kristene Chapa. Portland, OR 97006 (503) 906-1249; Olgin died from her wounds, but Chapa is currently recovering in a local hospital. Portland police say they don't know the motive for the shooting Friday night that killed 19-year-old Mollie Olgin and wounded 18-year-old Mary Kristene Chapa in Violet Andrews Park. 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. Gerald Walter McFadden was born on March 21, 1948, in Haskell County Texas. Almost exactly two years earlier, on June 22, 2012, Mollie Olgin, 19, and her girlfriend, Mary Kristene Chapa, who was then 18, were found in a birdwatching area at Violet Andrews Park in Portland near Corpus Christi. 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, OR 97006 (503) 906-1249; William Davis, who worked at Christus Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler, Texas, was convicted of capital murder on Oct. 19. Garza shot both Phillips and Eli twice, Cory said. Eyewitnesses also placed Spellman at Violet Andrews Park both before and after the crime. DNA testing was previously pending ona pubichair found on Chapa. Kristene Chapa, left, accompanied by her mother Grace Chapa, opened up about a 2012 attack in Texas that killed her girlfriend on "The View," Oct. 29, 2019. 47 Two years after a brutal attack on a female couple near Corpus Christi made national headlines, a break in the case has resulted in two arrests. The women had been sexually assaulted and shot in the head around midnight the previous evening. Sign up for breaking news alerts from NBC News. [8] In October 1999, he was executed in the Huntsville Unit by lethal injection. He is charged with capital murder, aggravated sexual assault and aggravated assault. 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. "I felt powerful, like I took my power back to be able to stand up against him," Chapa said. "I kept waiting. More:Could David Strickland be exonerated in 2012 Portland double shooting? About 100 people came out for the vigil to remember Olgin, who died June 23 at the park, and show their support for Chapa, who is in the hospital in stable condition. They followed my story since day one and I want to thank everybody for that.". Chapa was also sexually assaulted. More: David Strickland's attorney: Impending DNA testing will clear him of Portland Park murder, Sign up to have news emailed to you daily, David Strickland's attorney: Impending DNA testing will clear him of Portland Park murder, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. facing charges of capital murder, aggravated assault with a weapon and aggravated sexual assault in the June 23, 2012, attack, who tried to claw her way out of the thorny brush. Police were led to David Strickland in 2014 after Chapa's father received an anonymous letter containing information about the crime not released to the public. 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. Olgin, 19, and Chapa, 18, were found shot in the head Saturday in a Portland, Tx park. 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. On Jan. 31, police announced that Jerry Walter McFadden of Texas had killed Anna Marie Hlavka in Portland on Jan. 24, 1979. Chapa was also sexually assaulted. [17] The complaints against Strickland's father and Taft Pharmacy were later dropped from the lawsuit. Rachel Timson and Sarah Dime embrace during a vigil. The Caller-Times is withholding the man's name as it's unclear if he's been arrested and charged with a crime. Edward A. Ornelas/San Antonio Express-News, David Strickland, 27, was arrested June 20, 2014, in Helotes. Convicted in 1979 of aggravated sexual assault for kidnapping and raping an 18-year-old woman at knifepoint. 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. DNA evidence was collected from the bodies at this time. Portland police say they don't know the motive for the shooting Friday night that killed 19-year-old Mollie Olgin and wounded 18-year-old Mary Kristene Chapa in Violet Andrews Park. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. A birdwatching couple at Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas, came across Mollie and Kristenes bodies on the morning of June 23, 2012. Portland police say they don't know the motive for the shooting Friday night, June 22, 2012, that killed 19-year-old Mollie Olgin and wounded 18-year-old Mary Kristene Chapa in Violet Andrews Park. Portland Police Chief Randy Wright confirmed the identities of the two girls to local NBC affiliates and to MSNBC. It was higher than in 44.6% U.S. cities. McFadden was executed in Texas in October 1999 for the murders of three other women. Every episode of ABC's award-winning talk show "The View" is now available as a podcast! Strickland was sentenced to life in prison without parole in September 2016. There were some measures taken by the suspect Mr. Garza earlier in the evening in preparatory of this double homicide, Cory told reporters, according to KRIS-TV. A friend said Chapa remembers the night of the shooting. 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. The suspected shooter allegedly forced the girls down a steep incline in the quiet bayside park, bound them and shot them in the head. Gay rights groups have called for a thorough police investigation into the fatal shooting of a teenage woman and wounding of her girlfriend in the park. "My body will never be 100% again. 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. [3] There were several witnesses who had seen McFadden close to the scene of the crime on the day of the killings. Portland police have not provided details about how Strickland was linked to the case. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. 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. Photo: Portland Police Department. 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