Harris County authorities have charged a second suspect in the ambush killing of Deputy Fernando Esqueda. Dremone Francis, 26, was charged with capital murder and tampering with evidence on Sunday and is being held at the Harris County Jail.
Francis joins Ronald Palmer Jr., 44, who was charged with capital murder and aggravated assault after a lengthy manhunt. Palmer allegedly attacked a Little Caesars worker in Houston over a pizza order, leading to the deadly ambush of Deputy Esqueda.
Detectives reported that Francis admitted to disposing of Palmer’s firearms. “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.”
Deputy Esqueda responded to the disturbance at Little Caesars and was ambushed while on the phone with fellow deputies. Chief Deputy Mike Lee described the aftermath: “Other detectives in the area went to his location and at that time they saw his undercover vehicle with multiple gun strikes in it. They checked on him and he had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.”
Investigators found 41 shell casings at the scene. Due to the severity of Esqueda’s injuries, detectives transported him to the nearest hospital, where he later died.
Palmer is being held on a $100,000 bond and faced a magistrate judge on Monday. Francis’s bond is set at $500,000, and he is scheduled to appear before a judge on Tuesday.
Deputy Esqueda, 28, had served five years with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. He was honored in a procession on Monday, with many paying their respects. Public funeral services are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, including a viewing, rosary, and funeral mass.
