Death Sentence Upheld Over 2 Fort Worth Killings
HOUSTON (AP) - The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the death sentence of a gang member convicted of gunning down a 5-year-old girl and her grandmother three years ago in Fort Worth.
Attorneys for 23-year-old Erick Davila raised 14 points of error from his 2009 trial, including a claim the evidence didn't support his conviction. The state's highest criminal court Wednesday rejected all the arguments.
Davila was condemned for fatally shooting 48-year-old Annette Stevenson at her home. Her granddaughter, Queshawn, also was killed at a birthday party for another of Stevenson's grandchildren. Neighbors say the woman was shot while trying to shield several children.
Several others were wounded that April night after a dark car pulled up and a man got out and began firing at the corner tan-and-brick duplex decorated with a "Happy Birthday" banner and balloons, authorities said
According to prosecutors, Davila made a statement to police saying he was trying to get back at a rival gang that shot him in 2005.
Davila also was charged with another slaying and attacked Tarrant County jailers and maintenance workers during an escape attempt while awaiting trial.
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