Authorities have charged a second suspect in the ambush killing of Harris County Sheriff’s deputy Fernando Esqueda. Dremone Francis, 26, faces charges of capital murder and tampering with evidence. He was booked into the Harris County Jail on Sunday.
Francis joins Ronald Palmer Jr., 44, who was charged with capital murder and aggravated assault following an extensive manhunt last week. Detectives report that Francis admitted to disposing of Palmer’s weapons after the murder.
“The defendant also admitted that immediately after the murder of Deputy Esqueda, co-defendant Palmer gave him a pistol and a Mini Draco firearm and told him to get rid of them,” a prosecutor stated in court. “A witness stated the defendant dropped off a pistol and Mini Draco firearm in a black trash bag, told the witness the guns were hot and to get rid of them.”
The incident leading to Esqueda’s death began at a Little Caesars in Houston, where Palmer allegedly assaulted a worker over a pizza order. Esqueda responded to the scene and, while on the phone with fellow deputies, was ambushed.
“Other detectives in the area went to his location and at that time they saw his undercover vehicle with multiple gun strikes in it,” said Chief Deputy Mike Lee. “They checked on him and he had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.”
Detectives found 41 shell casings at the scene. Due to the severity of Esqueda’s injuries, detectives transported him to the nearest hospital in a patrol vehicle, but he succumbed to his injuries.
Palmer is being held on a $100,000 bond and appeared before a magistrate judge on Monday regarding his capital murder charge. Francis’s bond is set at $500,000 and he is expected to appear before a magistrate judge on Tuesday.
Deputy Esqueda, 28, was a five-year veteran of the force. He was honored in a procession on Monday, with dozens paying tribute to the fallen officer. Public funeral services are scheduled for later this week, with a viewing and rosary on Thursday and a funeral mass on Friday.