Scurry County has had a total of 11 homicides reported since 2006.
Of the 11 cases, five are still open and there have been five convictions.
The oldest unsolved case was the shooting death of Ernest Flores III on June 24, 2009. Jamie Vincent Olivarez was arrested for murder and Joshua Pesina was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the shooting. The case remains under investigation by the District Attorney’s office and neither man has been indicted.
The March 4, 2010 death of Maknyli Hopkins also remains under investigation by the Scurry County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s office. No arrests have been made in the death of the Hermleigh baby.
The Snyder Police Department continues to investigate the death of Justin Vaughn, who was shot on March 23, 2013.
Earlier this week, Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace Norma Martinez announced that the preliminary autopsy reports for Benjamyn Leslee Bruns and Joshua David Hoover showed the cause of death as homicide. Snyder police are still investigating the shooting deaths of both men in what has been called a home invasion. Nicole Dabney and Juan Ramon Barron were arrested for tampering with evidence and were released from jail after posting bond.
Two people are currently serving prison terms in connection with homicides.
Manuel Medrano Jr. is serving 50 years for the May 4, 2008 shooting death of Angel Gutierrez. James Smith is serving 50 years for the shooting death of his daughter, Mattie, on Oct. 27, 2012. Smith is appealing his prison sentence.
Two people received probation in connection with homicides.
The first is Jordan Matthew Ortegon, who was indicted for manslaughter and received probation.
Nicole Mann received probation for the June 10, 2014 shooting death of Robert Silva. She was found guilty of aggravated assault by a jury in 2015.
Two homicides in Scurry County were classified as domestic altercations.
Modesta Rosas Macias was shot on June 19, 2006 by her husband, Francisco Macias. He was charged with murder, but died in prison while awaiting trial.
Omar Diaz was shot by Cassandra Lopez on March 22, 2014. She pleaded guilty to murder and is currently serving a 50-year prison sentence.
Not included in the total is the death of Hailey Dunn because the location of her death has not been determined. The Scurry County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation since her remains were found at Lake J.B. Thomas.
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