The Brief
Two men accused in a West Dallas triple murder were arrested after fleeing to Houston the same day as the shootings.
Police say Jimy Caceres Leiva and Brayan Pineda Ayala killed a father, son, and another man outside the victims’ home.
Troopers later found the suspects, two women, a child, and three firearms in their car during the Houston stop.
DALLAS – An arrest affidavit obtained by FOX 4 reveals that a father and son who were killed in a Dallas triple murder were not the intended targets.
The suspects, who were arrested the same day as the crime after reportedly fleeing to Houston, are believed to have been following the third victim prior to the incident.
West Dallas triple murder
Dallas Bernal Drive triple homicide
The backstory
Early in the morning of Oct. 12, Dallas police responded to a shooting in West Dallas off Bernal Drive. Three people were found dead, including father and son, 47-year-old Pedra Lara Roa and 21-year-old Pedro Lara.
A third victim, whom police have not identified, was found inside a white van, crashed out on Lara’s front fence.
28-year-old Jimy Caceres Leiva and 23-year-old Brayan Pineda Ayala were both booked on Tuesday morning in the Montgomery County Jail, just north of Houston, and charged with capital murder of multiple people.
Jimy Caceres Leiva (Left) and Brayan Pineda Ayala
The two have been on the run since October 5.
Dallas triple murder update
What’s new
The suspects are now known to have immediately taken off to Houston the day of the triple murder, where they were stopped by DPS troopers. The two suspects in the car were accompanied by two women and a child. The women have been taken into ICE custody.
The two capital murder suspects have been booked into the Dallas County Jail after being transferred from Montgomery County.
Flock cameras captured Leiva’s Chevy Malibu following a white van, which was later found crashed outside a West Dallas home. Why the van’s driver was pursued and killed is still unknown.
The Malibu is seen on camera leaving the scene after the shooting, later arriving in the Houston area.
The newly obtained arrest document confirms a theory previously held by the family of two of the victims: the Laras had left their home to check on the van’s occupant, ultimately leading to their murders as casualties in the crime.
In an interview after their arrests, Ayala allegedly told detectives he supplied the guns, and Leiva shot and killed the three victims. Three guns were found in the vehicle the men were arrested in.
Bernal Drive triple murder interview
What they’re saying
In a previous interview with FOX 4, family member Josue Lara said his father and younger brother were likely attempting to help the van driver.
“I don’t know them. I didn’t recognize the guy in the van. I know my dad and brother didn’t know them. They were just trying to help,” said Josue.
“They heard a loud crash. They went outside to try to help, maybe call the cops. They didn’t know if the driver was injured. That’s all that happened. They were asleep.”
The Source
Information in this update comes from a Dallas Police Department arrest warrant affidavit.