Year in review: Cases handled by WFPD

Darrell Franklin

Thu, December 26, 2024 at 2:04 AM UTC

5 min read

The year 2024 saw 12 homicides in Wichita Falls, including the tragic murders of a woman and her unborn child. Looking back on the cases handled by the WFPD, beginning with a robbery turned shootout at Country Park Apartments.

Robbery gone wrong at Country Park Apartments

Just a few weeks after the year began, three people were shot, including the victim, during a robbery at Country Park Apartments on Professional Drive. It happened Sunday night, Jan. 21.

One of the wounded men told officers that two other armed men tried to rob him. He said that’s when he pulled out a gun, and shots were fired. Quincy Moore, 32, died at the hospital and 32-year-old Sydney Brown died a couple of weeks later. Their deaths were found to be justifiable homicides.

Man shoots older brother in the backyard

On the afternoon of Feb. 22, officers responded to the 4800 block of Marsha Lane for a report of about 10 gunshots, then yelling, followed by more gunshots. Police found 61-year-old Raymond Ralicki outside his home with a revolver in his hand, leading to a short stand-off with police when he wouldn’t drop it.

Officers found Ralicki’s brother, 69-year-old Stanley Ralicki, deceased in the backyard. A witness told officers that Ralicki shot his older brother and said Ralicki also fired at him, but he was not injured. Ralicki is charged with murder and aggravated assault.

Accidental shooting becomes homicide investigation

Just before midnight on May 6, Wichita Falls police responded to a welfare check at a home in the 100 block of Patterson Street. There, they found 28-year-old Trevenian Mitchell dead in front of the house with a gunshot wound to the head.

A witness at the scene told police that Mitchell was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle wrapped in clothing cradled in his arms as well as other items in his hands. The witness said he heard the rifle go off, and when he turned around, Mitchell was lying on the ground. On July 12, the WFPD reported this fatal shooting, which was first believed to be an accident, was being investigated as a homicide. So far, there have been no arrests.

Pellet gun to the eye leads to manhunt and murder charge

On May 12, police responded to the 1400 block of New Haven and found 31-year-old Deron Royster Jr. with a left eye injury. Royster could not explain how he was injured, and people on the scene were not cooperative. It was later determined he had a pellet in his brain from a pellet gun, and he died from his injury.

On the morning of May 23, Darren Jerome King, 34, was found in a backyard chicken coop and was arrested following a manhunt in the Sunnyside neighborhood. Then, in August, he was cleared of a charge of murdering Royster.

King has a lengthy, violent criminal history and faces further charges after police said he threatened a woman with a hammer and bolt cutters in early December 2023.

1 killed during robbery by two teens

Late on the night of May 28, Jordyn Jones, 23, was shot twice during an attempted robbery near Wichita and Calhoun. Victims told officers they’d left their apartment to go to a store when two black males in black hoodies and ski masks pulled out handguns. One told the victims to give them everything they had. They said Jones jumped forward and tried to grab the gun before shots were fired.

In late August, 18-year-old Traquan Eiland, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, and 18-year-old Cortez Banks were each indicted by a Wichita County grand jury for capital murder, four counts of aggravated robbery and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. They could face the death penalty.

Drug deal gone wrong leads to death

On June 20, police responded to a call about gunshots in the 1500 block of Smith Street, where they found Brandon Clampit dead near his driveway with a gunshot wound to the chest. They believe Clampit was killed during a drug deal that turned into his attempted robbery.

On July 13, M.H. Griffin III and Marqwon Griffin were both booked into the Wichita County jail for capital murder and are now indicted on those charges.

Murder-suicide increases 2024 Wichita Falls homicide numbers by 2

At around 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, June 22, officers responded to reports of gunshots at Highpoint Village Apartments. When police arrived, they discovered 21-year-old Alicia Elias and 22-year-old Abelino Gonzales, Jr in the parking lot with gunshot wounds.

Elias was pronounced dead at the scene, while Gonzales was taken to United Regional, where he was later pronounced dead. According to witnesses, the two argued as they walked away from the apartment, and then Gonzales began shooting at Elias before shooting himself.

Witnesses told officers Elias was possibly pregnant with Gonzales’ child. Then, on July 17, police confirmed the number of homicides in Wichita Falls for the year was rising by one with the addition of a second victim in this murder-suicide. Police confirmed Elias was pregnant at the time.

Mound of evidence leads to murder charge in West End shooting

In the early morning hours of September 14, Giovanni Cesar was shot in the head and killed in the parking lot of West End Pub and Pool. On Sept. 26, police said they had on-scene evidence, multiple video recordings and witness statements to justify a murder charge against 20-year-old Marcus Fonseca.

Police say Cesar was seen walking at a normal, non-aggressive pace before a gun flash is seen, and he fell to the ground.

3-month investigation leads to murder charge for Wichita Falls woman

In late November, following an autopsy and a three-month investigation, a Wichita Falls woman was charged with murder in connection with a fatal drug overdose at the Days Inn on August 24.

Heather Boswell, 40, was arrested at the Wayfarer motel. During questioning, police said Boswell admitted she injected 64-year-old Michael Newcomb twice with liquid methamphetamine before his overdose. She, too, is now charged with murder.

This is a developing story. Stick with Texoma’s Homepage for updates as more information becomes available. All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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