Anthony Reyes Figueroa, 8, and mom
Tarrant County seeks death penalty in double homicide
Tarrant County prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a man accused of killing his estranged girlfriend and her 8-year-old son.
Officials with the Tarrant County district attorney's office say Cedric Allen Ricks fatally stabbed Roxann Dianna Sanchez, 30, and her son, Anthony Reyes Figueroa, 8, inside her apartment in Bedford on May 1.
Police found the bodies at an apartment in the 1400 block of Park Place Boulevard at the Colonial Village at Shoal Creek complex after receiving 911 calls, including 1 from Sanchez's other son, 12-year-old Marcus Figueroa, who had also been stabbed.
Marcus Figueroa survived his attack.
Prosecutors offered Ricks a plea bargain for life in prison without parole, but he rejected it, according to a court document filed with the Tarrant County district clerk's office.
Ricks' trial is scheduled for May 5.
"The decision to seek the death penalty is made on a case-by-case basis," said Melody McDonald, spokeswoman for the Tarrant County district attorney's office. "Because this case is pending, it would be inappropriate to discuss the specific reasons for this decision at this time."
Ricks, who was captured in Oklahoma, had been free on a $7,500 bond in a previous assault case when the stabbings occurred. Ricks had been indicted in December 2012 on an assault charge, accused of choking Sanchez on Nov. 11.
'Where did he hurt you?'
On the night of the fatal stabbings, a woman called 911 and told dispatchers that "my cousin just called and said he killed his girlfriend and her 2 sons."
Minutes later, Marcus Figueroa called, saying: "My mom's boyfriend just killed my mom and my other brother. Please hurry. Please," he said, starting to cry before gathering himself again.
The dispatcher asked whether he was hurt, and he answered, "Yes."
"Where did he hurt you?"
"Everywhere."
When police arrived, they found Sanchez and Anthony Figueroa dead.
The couple's 8-month-old son could be heard crying in the background of the 911 call. He was uninjured.
Marcus Figueroa was covered in blood from multiple stab wounds.
Last death penalty case
The most recent person to receive the death penalty in Tarrant County was Steven Lawayne Nelson, who was convicted in October 2012 in the murder of Clint Dobson.
Dobson, a 28-year-old pastor, was in his office at NorthPointe Baptist Church in Arlington when he was killed during a robbery on March 3, 2011.
Nelson also beat and severely injured Dobson's secretary, Judy Elliott.
Nelson has also been accused of killing a Tarrant County inmate while he was in jail awaiting trial. That capital murder case is pending.
Nelson, 26, is on death row.
(Source: The Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
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