Garland Convenience Store Shooting Trial Day 2: Interview with father of shooting suspect played in court

DALLAS – Testimony continued Wednesday at the murder trial of Richard Acosta, the father of a teenager accused of shooting and killing 3 other teenagers at a Garland convenience store.

In an opening statement on Tuesday, prosecutors said Acosta drove his then 14-year-old son Abel Acosta to commit the murders on December 26, 2021, and they claim he knew this would happen.

READ MORE: Garland Shooting Trial Begins, Father of Murder Accused Faces Death Penalty

The defense argued that Richard had no idea what would happen on the night of the shooting.

They claimed that Richard wanted to go home to watch the Cowboys play and that he thought he was giving Abel a ride to talk to one of the boys about the necklace.

The bulk of Wednesday’s testimony focused on forensic evidence, including fingerprints and shell casings found at the crime scene.

Relatives of the two victims said it was difficult to listen to all the evidence, but they plan to appear in court every day until the death penalty trial is over.

Xavier Gonzalez, 14, Rafael Garcia, 17, and Ivan Noyala, 16, were killed in the shootout.

Body camera video shown in court on Wednesday showed Richard sitting in the lobby of the Garland Police Department the day after the fatal shooting.

In the video, Richard told detectives that he turned himself in after friends told him that his picture was in the news and that he was wanted in connection with a triple homicide in Garland Texaco.

At the time, Garland police did not know his identity. He told detectives that his girlfriend dropped him off because he wasn’t sure how long the department would need him.

Security camera video from the store shows Richard leaving the scene in a white pickup truck.

The shooter, later identified as his 14-year-old son Abel, was seen jumping into the back seat immediately after the shooting, before the truck left.

Richard was taken into custody.

He told investigators that his white Dodge Ram pickup was in the parking lot of a Walmart.

“I went to the scene and found this pickup truck, and at that time it was seized as evidence,” the Garland police station said. Jason Lambert said.

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The pickup has been processed. A pistol was found inside, but a later check showed that it was not the same pistol that killed the three teenagers.

The former detective testified that the pickup truck was altered after it left the crime scene in an attempt to remove identifiable black markings on the side of the truck.

“There was an attempt to remove the identifiable black markings on the side. It was one of the first things I noticed when I saw the car,” said Robert Duncan.

The lead medical examiner testified that she took Abel’s fingerprints from the inside of his father’s pickup truck and from the convenience store door.

“Identified by the ring finger of Abel Acosta’s left hand,” said Ara Huggins, lead medical examiner for the Garland Police Department.

Much of Wednesday afternoon’s testimony focused on mobile phone data and devices belonging to Richard at the murder scene.

“Yes, this is Google data on the location of Richard Acosta Jr’s device,” the investigator said.

More recent data shows that Richard’s device traveled around DFW during the night and the next day.

Family members of Richard and his son live throughout North Texas, and investigators believe family members helped the teen escape from authorities.

Prosecutors try to prove that Richard knew his son intended to shoot Garcia and Noyola that night due to a previous encounter with the duo, and that he helped his son commit capital murder and then escape.

“He’s to blame,” said Mario, Ivan Noyola’s father.

Mario said he blamed Richard for taking Abel to the gas station that night. He wants justice.

So is the Gonzalez family.

According to investigators, the 14-year-old teenager turned out to be an innocent passer-by who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Right now, we are his voice and we are here to get justice,” said Gonzalez’s aunt, Brenda Salinas. “He is a parent. Parents, you know, basically teach their kids what to do.”

The jury heard the testimony of the forensic experts who performed the autopsy on the teenagers.

They also saw photographs of all the bodies.

Abel is still on the run.

The prosecution believes that Richard helped his son escape, possibly to Mexico.

Richard showed no visible emotion during Wednesday’s testimony.

According to his lawyer, Richard is due to testify at some point this week.