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Thread: Nicholas Dwayne Thomas Sentenced to LWOP In 2021 TX Murder Of Miguel Vasquez

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    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
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    Nicholas Dwayne Thomas Sentenced to LWOP In 2021 TX Murder Of Miguel Vasquez

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    Nicholas Thomas


    Accidental Shooting Of Texas Toddler Leads To Father's Capital Murder Arrest

    HOUSTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) – While a fatal robbery and the case of a 3-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself wouldn’t appear to be connected, authorities said Thursday, June 17, the same gun was used in both, leading police to arrest the boy’s father for the robbery.

    Nicholas Thomas has been charged with capital murder in the deadly shooting of 37-year-old Miguel Vasquez, who was killed in front of his daughter as the two walked out of a Dave & Buster’s restaurant on Easter Sunday, four days before Thomas’ son shot himself.

    The boy survived.

    Thomas’ attorney, Walter Miller IV, declined to comment on the case.

    Vasquez and his 10-year-old daughter were walking to their vehicle on April 4 when police allege Thomas put Vasquez in a chokehold and demanded his jewelry before shooting him, according to court documents.

    Vasquez and his daughter managed to flee and find an off-duty officer who was working security. Vasquez was taken to a hospital, where he died. His daughter was not injured. Thomas did not take any of Vasquez’s jewelry during the robbery, police said.

    During their investigation, police found a 9 mm cartridge casing near Vasquez’s vehicle.

    Investigators were able to match the bullet casing to the gun used by Thomas’ 3-year-old son on April 8, according to court documents.


    Thomas, 23, had left the gun on a bathroom sink after coming home from work early in the morning and was changing his clothes in another room when his son found the weapon.

    Thomas was charged with endangering a child and had been free on a $1,000 bond when he was arrested on Wednesday in the fatal robbery. He made his initial court appearance Thursday morning.

    Thomas remained jailed on a $150,000 bond on the capital murder charge.

    Police said investigators also connected Thomas to a vehicle that was seen on surveillance footage fleeing Vasquez’s shooting. Thomas matched a description given by Vasquez’s daughter and records placed his cellphone near the shooting.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/dfw.cbs...-arrest/%3famp
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    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
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    TODDLER'S ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING LED TO FATHER'S ARREST IN CASE OF MAN KILLED IN MARQ-E PARKING LOT

    HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A shocking connection was revealed in the murder of a 37-year-old man who was killed in front of his family on Easter Sunday at a west Houston entertainment complex.

    A shell casing found in the parking lot and surveillance video from the Marq-E Entertainment Center played a role in helping investigators, but it was the suspect's own son shooting himself four days later that ultimately led to his arrest.

    On April 4, Miguel Vasquez was leaving Dave and Buster's at the entertainment center with his 10-year-old daughter when he was shot and killed. His daughter wasn't harmed during the attack.

    Nicholas Thomas, 23, has been charged with capital murder in the fatal shooting.

    Prosecutors say Thomas may have targeted Vasquez for the watch he was wearing.

    Thomas is seen on surveillance video approaching Vasquez, putting him in a chokehold, demanding his watch and shooting him, prosecutors say.

    Vasquez ran to off-duty officers who were working security for help, but later died at a hospital. Authorities said they do not believe the suspect got away with anything.

    Vasquez's family said the day of the shooting they lost their heart and soul.

    "He was the backbone for us. He was the backbone," Vasquez's sister said.

    The family had prayed for justice since the day of the shooting. In the days following Vasquez's killing, police released a sketch of the suspect and video showing a white sedan leaving the parking lot at the time of the shooting.

    Court records show that just four days after Vasquez's killing, Thomas' 3-year-old son got a hold of the same gun he used and shot himself. Police were able to tie the bullet in that case to a shell casing located at the Dave and Buster's deadly shooting.

    Prosecutors say it wasn't just that. They say surveillance video also tied Thomas to the scene.

    "The vehicle that was seen in the surveillance video matched the vehicle that was registered to the defendant's girlfriend's mother, who stated that the girlfriend was the primary driver, and then found that this defendant was actually a primary driver as well," officials read in court Wednesday.

    Even with Thomas' arrest, Vasquez's family says the pain is still there, but at least Thomas is off the streets.

    "I felt relieved but at the same time, it's like reliving the nightmare again. Again like when I got the news he's passed away, it's the same thing," Vasquez's sister said.

    Thomas' attorney asked for his bond to be set at $30,000, but prosecutors didn't want any bond at all.

    Ultimately, the judge set his bond at $150,000. Thomas is due back in court Friday.

    Vasquez's family said it plans to attend all the court hearings in honor of their loved ones and to ensure Thomas stays behind bars.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/abc13.c...quez/10798382/
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

  3. #3
    Senior Member CnCP Legend Mastro Titta's Avatar
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    Nicholas Thomas' jury trial will start on September 29th, 2023. The death penalty is NOT being sought.

    https://www.hcdistrictclerk.com/edoc...nYq6XH6w%3d%3d

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    Man gets life without parole for killing a father in front of his daughter at Dave & Buster’s near Spring Branch

    Investigators said they were able to identify Nicholas Dwayne Thomas as the killer after his toddler shot himself with the same gun that Thomas used to kill the victim.

    Erica Ponder, Digital Content Producer

    HOUSTON – A Houston man was sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing a 37-year-old father during an armed robbery outside of a theater complex near Spring Branch in 2021, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Monday.

    Nicholas Dwayne Thomas, 26, was convicted of capital murder by a Harris County jury late Friday and automatically sentenced to life in prison without parole for shooting 37-year-old Miguel Vasquez on April 4.

    “Gun violence continues to tear apart our community because criminals like this man specifically intend to rob, hurt and kill others,” Ogg said. “Our job is to seek justice, and jurors agreed that this killer should never be on the street again.”

    Investigators said they were able to identify Thomas as the killer after his toddler apparently shot himself with the same gun that Thomas used to kill Vasquez. The toddler survived.

    On the day of the murder, authorities said Vasquez and his 10-year-old daughter were leaving Dave and Buster’s at the Marq-E Entertainment Center on the Katy Freeway. Thomas reportedly approached Vasquez with his gun drawn and put the man in a chokehold while demanding his watch. Thomas then shot and killed Vasquez and fled the scene, authorities said.

    Four days later, Ogg said Thomas’ toddler was shot once in the leg with the bullet going all the way through the child’s leg. Thomas took the child to the hospital and cooperated with authorities investigating the accidental shooting.

    Investigators said the gun from that shooting was turned over to authorities and tested by technicians at the Houston Forensic Science Center. The ballistics information from the gun was entered into a federal database known as NIBIN ̶ National Integrated Ballistics Information Network, which is a ballistics testing and comparison program run by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

    When the gun from the accidental shooting matched the gun used in the Vasquez slaying, Ogg said the Houston Forensic Science Center contacted the Houston Police Department’s homicide division and Thomas was arrested for the murder.

    After further testing, Thomas’ DNA was allegedly found on the victim’s watch and Thomas’ fingerprints were found on the victim’s car. Cell phone records also showed that Thomas was in the area at the time of the murder, authorities said.

    Assistant District Attorney Chandler Raine, who is assigned to the DA’s Homicide Unit, and ADA Natalia Leon prosecuted the case in a two-day trial.

    “More than 30 members of the victim’s family sat through the trial because he was a beloved husband and father of two who will never get to see his children grow up,” Raine said. “We were honored to be responsible for seeing that justice was done for this family, and are thankful to the jury for their service and attentiveness, which led to the right verdict.”

    https://www.click2houston.com/news/l...nxTLSLR4-6y1Ak
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

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