Dallas Man Arrested for Capital Murder in Carjacking
22-year-old Rocky Mejia Jr has been arrested and charged with capital murder for the deadly carjacking of Juan Hernandez Esparza’s shooting in Northwest Dallas. Rocky Mejia Jr was arrested on August 22, 4 days after the initial incident that happened on August 18. Rocky Mejia Jr. is being held on a $504,000 bond.
Dallas and Plano police are coordinating their efforts and working together; they believe this stolen vehicle was used in robberies last week.
TRENDING: Dallas Man Killed in Suspected Carjacking
It was early morning when Juan Ricardo Hernandez Esparza was in his car video chatting with his friend in the parking lot of the Jones Creek Apartments in the 3200 block of Lombardy Lane in Dallas.
According to what the friend told police, they heard someone say “get out of the vehicle” in Spanish. The friend also heard Juan respond with “Wait, I live here,” in Spanish.
The friend told police she couldn’t see him on the video chat anymore; she believes the phone fell. Though she couldn’t see anything, she heard a lot. She heard a physical altercation and a gunshot, then the video chat ended.
The friend quickly called someone else who lived in the apartment complex to check on Juan. When the person came outside, they saw Juan lying on the ground unconscious and called the police.
Police arrived at the scene, and Dallas Fire Rescue took Juan to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigations show that Juan’s vehicle was found on August 20th, being used or connected with an aggravated robbery offense in Dallas and Plano, Texas. It’s reported that license plates have been switched.
Police were able to use databases and surveillance footage to tie this crime to Rocky Mejia Jr.
Juan’s sister, Jasmine, came forward and said the friend he was on the phone with at the time of the incident called and told her what happened. She immediately started calling Juan’s roommates, friends, and neighbors at his Northwest Dallas complex. Jasmine says, “His friend called me. She said she was on a FaceTime call with him, and she heard someone say Get out of the car! He said No, wait, I live here, but in Spanish. She couldn’t see or hear anything else, other than she saw a guy.” She also says, “Whatever they do to that guy is not going to be enough for what he did to my brother.”
Surveillance from across the street shows a Chevy Malibu pulling up to Juan’s parking lot.
Following the incident, the Malibu and Juan’s Honda Civic drove off together; the Chevy Malibu was connected to Rocky Mejia Jr.
When they found the stolen vehicle, it was abandoned with different license plates
Rocky Mejia Jr. has a long criminal history in Dallas County going back at least 5 years. The arrests include aggravated robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, evading arrest, and multiple probation violations. Police say he was likely on probation when he was arrested on aug 22 and is also facing an unrelated charge in Garland Texas for assaulting a family member.
