Richardson PD Charge 3 In Stabbing Murder
RICHARDSON (CBSDFW.COM) - It began with an emergency call about a burglary in progress and ended with a confession, and Richardson police charging three people with Capital Murder.
The confession and charges would solve three separate Richardson police cases and could close multiple sexual assault cases in Dallas.
As Richardson police pursued the suspect they received information from the Dallas Police Department that the area of their disturbance was the same one where they were keeping an eye on a sexual assault suspect. That suspect was 22-year-old Jose Portillo.
Richardson continued the search for their suspect but the man wasn't captured until after allegedly attempting to carjack a nearby driver and breaking into the house of a relative.
Once in custody the suspect was identified as Portillo.
During the attempted carjacking Portillo reportedly screamed orders while pointing a gun at the driver. After a series of events, the driver said he realized the weapon the suspect was holding was not loaded. The driver started fighting with Portillo and was able to disarm him.
When crime scene technicians took that handgun into evidence they discovered it was the same type gun stolen from the apartment of a man found stabbed to death five days earlier.
On September 7, Richardson police found the body of Jimmy Wayne Donawho inside his apartment on St. Paul Drive. The 63-year-old had been stabbed to death.
During the investigation of the murder police found fingerprints, left in blood, on Donawho's closet door. When Portillo was arrested after his alleged crime spree on Wednesday his fingerprints were taken at the Richardson City Jail. Those fingerprints were compared to those found at the murder scene and a match was made.
Police interviewed Portillo on Thursday and it was then they say he confessed to being involved in the burglary of an apartment and the death of Donawho.
Police say Portillo told them he broke into Donawho's apartment with two other men, Saul Montero-Mata and Omar Lima Lopez.
After taking Montero into custody he admitted knowing Portillo and to being in Donawho's apartment in August.
After further investigation police believe the third man, Omar Lima Lopez, was a roommate of both Montero and Portillo.
All three men, who are in the country illegally, remain in custody and have been charged with Capital Murder by Terror Threat. Portillo has also been charged with Burglary and Aggravated Robbery.
Richardson police say while they questioned Portillo about events in their city he also confessed to committing the sexual assaults in Dallas. As of late Friday afternoon DPD had yet to file any formal charges.
