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'I am furious': DPD chief says justice system let down victims in quadruple murder

DPD Chief Eddie Garcia says the suspect threatened the family prior to the murder over the weekend.

DALLAS — A man accused of killing four people, including a 1-year-old child, was not supposed to be near the family, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said.  

Garcia says he is furious that a family was allegedly killed by a suspect that Dallas Police had arrested twice before for threatening the people he killed.

“This is an absolute utter failure of our criminal justice system where we have four people killed and five were shot,” says Garcia.

"Our victims could very well be alive today if we had accountability for violent criminals,” says Garcia.

Police say 21-year-old Byron Carillo shot his ex-girlfriend, her parents and his one-year-old child who lived next door to him at 4:20 p.m. Sunday.

Family and friends say there were warning signs this would happen.

"It’s not the first time, they had gun pointed way before that.”

Carillo threatened to shoot his girlfriend, Vanessa De La Cruz and her father, Jose Lopez in August of 2021, court records show. 

Credit: De La Cruz family

Police say at the time of his arrest they did a lethality study where the victim was questioned and told police she feared for her life.

"She states she believes he will try to kill her. She states that he can get a firearm, has firearms and one could easily be available to him,” Garcia says.

A judge set his bond and $50,000, he bonded out and he posted bond as the case made its way through the courts. 

Garcia says Carillo pistol whipped his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend in July and threatened her again.

A different judge increased his bond to $100,000, he posted that, and was placed on an ankle monitor, police say.

"I don’t understand what world we live in where your place a violent criminal, who committed a violent act against his neighbor, next door neighbor and then place him on an ankle monitor while living next door to the victim and her father,” said Garcia.

Carillo cut off the ankle monitor two minutes after the murder and later killed himself in the Austin area, police say.

"I don’t know how many times I need to say this that ankle monitors don’t work on violent criminals,” said Garcia.

Garcia says Dallas police tried to keep Carillo in jail while others let him out.

"This was a violent criminal. We did not take care of our domestic violence survivor and I’m sorry this is who I am and I’m furious about it," Garcia says.

There were 18 pass slips on this case meaning the case was not set for trial. The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office says they were working on a plea agreement on the case.

   

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