Tarrant County leaders, law enforcement question why suspect in police sergeant's death was out on probation
TARRANT COUNTY — Tarrant County leaders are questioning why the suspect accused of hitting and killing Sgt. Billy Randolph was out of jail at the time.
DeAujalae Evans, 25 years old, had recently pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
According to court documents, Evans shot another woman, who was identified as her romantic partner, in March of 2023. She was sentenced to 72 months of probation in April of this year after entering a guilty plea.
Some local officials and law enforcement leaders believe Evans shouldn't have been released after committing a violent felony.
"This case is obviously very important to us because this is a brother of blue who passed senselessly, but we share the same story as so many other people in the community who have lost loved ones at the hands of someone who likely shouldn't have been out of jail," said Lake Worth Police Chief J.T. Manoushagian.
Manoushagian said he doesn't want to be too critical of those serving in the district attorney's office or the judge who made the decision, but it's hard to understand how this happened.
"If you are willing to shoot your domestic partner, as was alleged in this case, you have the propensity for violence and that should be considered," Manoushagian said. "I don't know why probation was even on the table for a crime like that."
Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez, a former Fort Worth police officer, said Evans is solely to blame for her actions, but he hopes this opens a conversation about how these plea bargains are handled.
"This was domestic violence and an assault with a firearm, two of the greatest risk predictors for future violence," Ramirez said. "And this person goes out there and kills one of our police officers. Just so happened to be one of our police officers, but it could have been any community member. It could have been anybody that was revictimized by this person. And so I think that it's absolutely heartbreaking to know that that this person should have been behind bars."
Perfectly said @MannyRamirez_TX. The Randolph Family is without a son, father, husband, grandfather and friend today because of deadly criminal behavior and unwarranted leniency in our justice system. Rest in peace Sgt. Randolph. You are a hero. https://t.co/ezFY1D1eLY
— Mayor Mattie Parker (@MayorMattie) August 13, 2024
On X, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker echoed Ramirez's comments, saying "unwarranted leniency in our justice system" contributed to Sgt. Randolph's death.
Police say Evans was driving drunk when she drove the wrong way up an exit ramp on I-35 Monday, hitting and killing Sgt. Randolph. She is now facing a charge of intoxicated manslaughter of a peace officer.
"The system is set up to ensure that the risk to the community is taken into account, and so ultimately, we have to make sure that that's being followed," Ramirez said. "We have to make sure that something like this can never happen again."
CBS News Texas asked Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells why Evans received probation instead of prison time. He responded with this statement:
"We evaluate each case our office receives on a case-by-case basis. Some factors we consider in making our decisions are the facts of the case, the available proof, witnesses, the criminal history of the defendant, and the wishes of the victim."