At the time, Strickland denied shooting and raping the girls. WebAMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Police say a Texas mother has been charged with murder in the death of her 2-month-old baby, KFDA reports. Chapa was also sexually assaulted. [8] In October 1999, he was executed in the Huntsville Unit by lethal injection. He is now appealing the conviction based on new DNA evidence that his attorneys claim prove he was wrongly convicted. It is one day before the two-year anniversary. [16], In 2017, Kristene Chapa filed a lawsuit against David Strickland, his father Larry Joe Strickland, and Taft Pharmacy, the family business, seeking $500 million in damages. WebMollie Olgin was a 19-year-old woman murdered on June 22, 2012 in Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas after she and her girlfriend were attacked and shot. The Portland, Texas couple was found shot in the head on Saturday, June 23. [9], Layton Police investigating the burglary had discovered evidence in Strickland's car including two guns, ammunition, a suppressor, gloves and a backpack containing condoms, flex handcuffs, bolt cutters, a knife and other items. Police have not identified any suspects or announced any arrests. The case garnered national attention and sparked outrage amongst the public, as homophobia initially was suspected to be a motivating factor in the crime. Sister Peggy Ritual and Jason Haas share a moment of silence at a vigil. We know fromMollies parents that they were close, he said. Chapa suffered tunnel vision and lost part of her mobility. Dateline originally aired an episode on the case in 2017 after a San Patricio County Judge found David Strickland, a Portland, Texas, man, guilty of capital murder. Attorneys for convicted killer David Strickland are asking for a hearing along with records they hope will prove someone else was to blame for the 2012 double shooting in a Portland park. 5-year-old dead after double homicide-suicide in Portland. Olgin died from her wounds, but Chapa is currently recovering in a local hospital. In a Nov. 30 motion that was previously sealed, Strickland's attorney Cynthia Orr argues a different man whose DNA was found at thescene and on the surviving victimis actually responsible for the crime. Ashlee Burns covers trending and breaking news in South Texas. Two young women believed to be in a romantic relationship were apparently shot by a mysterious assailant in Portland, Texas Friday night. U.S. (PHOTOS: Teens in America: Class Pictures). "All my supporters; they've been there. Garza shot both Phillips and Eli twice, Cory said. William Davis, who worked at Christus Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler, Texas, was convicted of capital murder on Oct. 19. The teenagers were shot execution-style and left for dead in a park in Portland, Texas. Olgin died at the scene and Chapa is in stable condition in the hospital. Dateline originally aired an episode on the case in 2017 after a San Patricio County Judge found David Strickland, a Portland, Texas, man, guilty of capital murder. [17] The complaints against Strickland's father and Taft Pharmacy were later dropped from the lawsuit. [4][7] The Texas Appeals Court affirmed the conviction and sentence in November 1993. A couple out bird watching the next morning found the girls Olgin had died but Chapa, who tried to claw her way out of the thorny brush, was alive. Attorneys for convicted killer David Strickland are asking for a hearing along with records they hope will prove someone else was to blame for the 2012 double shooting in a Portland park. A crime scene investigator photographs evidence at the end of a sidewalk, June 23, 2012 at Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas, where Mollie Olgin, 19, and Mary Kristene Chapa, 18, were killed. McFadden had been convicted of rape three times between 1972 and 1978, but never had to serve his full sentence. A few days after the attack, a man named David Strickland went to the police to provide information regarding something he saw on the night of the shootings. I have panic attacks," Chapa said. David Strickland was living in Portland at the time of the shootings and has also lived in Utah and Helotes, police said. Police Chief Randy Wright says there's no evidence that the attack was motivated by their relationship. It was written from the perspective of a hitman who claimed that someone from Layton, Utah, was responsible for the attacks and had wanted Kristene dead. WebAMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Police say a Texas mother has been charged with murder in the death of her 2-month-old baby, KFDA reports. U.S. "GLAAD: Supporters rally and call for #justice4krisandmollie", "Texas Lesbian Couple: Survivor Remembers Night of Shooting", "Two Years Later, Arrests Have Finally Been Made in the Corpus Christi Shooting of A Teenage Lesbian Couple", "Same-Sex Teen Couple Shot: Texas Rangers investigating shooting of Mollie Olgin and Mary Chapa", "Brother of lesbian teen shot in head: She's 'fighting', "Verdict reached 4 years after deadly attack on TX lesbian teen couple", "Same-Sex Teen Couple Shooting: New sketch of suspect released in Texas attack", "Couple who found victims at Portland park testify", "Arrest Affidavit Details Link Between David Strickland, Portland Shootings", "accused-killer-in-portland-shooting-falsely-confessed-expert-says", "jury-watches-video-of-shooting-survivors-photo-lineup", "Court document: David Strickland denied appeal in killing of Mollie Olgin in 2012", "Shooting survivor Kristene Chapa files $500 million lawsuit", "Texas attack survivor's multimillion-dollar lawsuit against David Strickland gets pre-trial hearing", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Mollie_Olgin&oldid=1133689494, Violence against LGBT people in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 15 January 2023, at 01:52. A poster depicting Kristene Chapa and her girlfriend Mollie Judith Olgin, at the Chapa residence on June 11, 2013 in Corpus Christi, TX. Plz, help.. Report: Houston is the No. It was higher than in 44.6% U.S. cities. The city carved $16 million, or 7%, out of its police budget last year. He contacted family members Friday evening, said Cory, who did not elaborate much. William Davis, who worked at Christus Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler, Texas, was convicted of capital murder on Oct. 19. Thanks everyone for the texts, messages, and calls but my family and I are just kinda in shock and just shook up, Chapa wrote on Facebook after the arrest was made. His sentence will automatically be appealed. Mollie Judith Olgin, 19, and her girlfriend Mary Kristene Chapa, 18, were found shot in the head last Saturday in a Portland, Tx park. [6], In 2018, advances in testing technology allowed for DNA identification of a hair found on Chapa's body. Marshals and Texas Rangers in the San Antonio suburb of Helotes, local media reported. On Jan. 31, police announced that Jerry Walter McFadden of Texas had killed Anna Marie Hlavka in Portland on Jan. 24, 1979. Attorneys for convicted killer David Strickland are asking for a hearing along with records they hope will prove someone else was to blame for the 2012 double shooting in a Portland park. Officers described finding a tragic, horrifying murder scene at the home in northeast Portland. Marshals and Texas Rangers in the San Antonio suburb of Helotes, local media reported. Olgin, 19, and her girlfriend Chapa, 18, were found shot in the head Saturday in a Portland, Tx park. The Portland Police Department released this sketch July 13, 2012, in the attack on Mollie Olgin and Mary Kristene Chapa. Convicted in 1979 of aggravated sexual assault for kidnapping and raping an 18-year-old woman at knifepoint. Portland police say they don't know the motive for the shooting Friday night, June 22, 2012, that killed 19-year-old Mollie Olgin and wounded 18-year-old Mary Kristene Chapa in Violet Andrews Park. Samantha Garrett, Olgins roommate, said that the couple had not received any threats or hateful remarks about their new relationship. As the investigation carried on, there was a break in the case in June 2014 when Kristenes father received an anonymous letter in the mail. Later on, David even confessed to the crime, saying he attacked Mollie and Kristene because they were mean to his wife, who was a server at a restaurant. The 2019 Portland crime rate fell by 29% compared to 2018. He was also seen talking to people at the crime scene, telling them that his partner, Laura, knew one of the victims. Previously, DNA found on a cigarette butt and energy drink can at the scene both matched to Spellman. The gunshot initially left Chapa unable to sit or stand, with the bullet piercing the part of her brain controlling movements on her left side. Olgin died from her wounds, but Chapa is currently recovering in a local hospital. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Report: Houston ranked No. 47 Two years after a brutal attack on a female couple near Corpus Christi made national headlines, a break in the case has resulted in two arrests. Strickland was sentenced to life in prison without parole in September 2016. (AP Photo/Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Michael Zamora), A crime scene investigator takes pictures of an evidence marker near some playground equipment Saturday, June 23, 2012 at Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas. Roel Garza did not have a history of violence before the murder-suicide, cops said. [7], In January 2019, McFadden was linked by DNA via GEDmatch to the July 24, 1979 murder of Anna Marie Hlavka; Anna was found dead by her sister inside her apartment. PORTLAND, Texas A husband, wife and their five-year-old son are dead after a murder suicide in the City of Portland, according to police. Corpus Christi police concluded that the robbery was targeted. So, lets find out what happened to David then, shall we. So, lets find out what happened to David then, shall we? Mollie Olgin was a 19-year-old woman murdered on June 22, 2012 in Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas after she and her girlfriend were attacked and shot. [11] The charge was dismissed. After two hours of being interviewed by Portland police and Texas Rangers, Strickland confessed. The incident was premeditated. Julie Pousson (left) cries during a candle light vigil held for Mollie Judith Olgin and Mary Kristene Chapa Friday June 29, 2012 at Woodlawn Lake. People run under a giant rainbow flag after a vigil for Mollie Judith Olgin, 19, and Mary Kristene Chapa, 18, at Cal Anderson Park on Friday, June 29, 2012. See our subscription options and special offers at Caller.com/subscribe, After two hours of being interviewed by Portland police and Texas Rangers. A psychologist also concluded in 2009 that David had hallucinations and suicidal ideations. They believed that the couple was attacked somewhere around midnight, and the assailant bound and blindfolded the women. Emailus. David M. Strickland, 27, and his wife, Laura K. Strickland, 23, were arrested June 20 at their home in Helotes in the San Antonio area. The Caller-Times is withholding the man's name as it's unclear if he's been arrested and charged with a crime. Olgin died and Chapa continues to recover after the two were shot June 23 at the park. Members and supporters of the gay community held a vigil on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif., at the corner of Castro and Market Streets for Mollie Olgin and Mary Kristene Chapa, two lesbian teens who were shot on Friday near Corpus Christi, Texas. WebMollie Olgin was a 19-year-old woman murdered on June 22, 2012 in Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas after she and her girlfriend were attacked and shot. Vigils were held across the county by the LGBT community, and some suspected the case could be a hate crime. Almost exactly two years earlier, on June 22, 2012, Mollie Olgin, 19, and her girlfriend, Mary Kristene Chapa, who was then 18, were found in a birdwatching area at Violet Andrews Park in Portland near Corpus Christi. David Malcolm Strickland, 27, was arrested Friday by U.S. Police say Garza did not have any prior history of violence. The investigators worked the case, eventually arresting the culprit, David Strickland. The other man, from Nevada,admitted he was at the park that night and lived in the area at the time of the shooting. All rights reserved. The chief described the fathers preliminary actions in general terms. Authorities didn't investigate the fatal attack as a hate crime even though the incident happened during Pride weekend. While Mollie Olgin died, her girlfriend, Mary Kristene Chapa, miraculously survived. Portland, a small town of 16,000 just north of Corpus Christi, is not known for crime and has not seen a homicide in two years. Marshals and Texas Rangers in the San Antonio suburb of Helotes, local media reported. The investigators worked the case, eventually arresting the culprit, David Strickland. Nearly two years after a teenager and her girlfriend were both shot in the head on a grassy hillside in South Texas, killing one of them and leaving the other with serious injuries, authorities have arrested a man in the attack. 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