A former Dallas police officer who was arrested last month on charges of mastermind was released from prison and his charges were dropped after a judge ruled he could not be detained.
Bryan Riser, a 13-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department, is accused of hiring three people in 2017 to kill Albert Douglas and Lisa Saenz.
He was released on a $ 5 million bond after a pre-trial hearing Wednesday. Judge Audrey Moorehead, a criminal judge in Dallas County, found that the police did not have enough evidence to hold Riser behind bars.
Prosecutors for the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office also agree that there is insufficient evidence to pursue the case against him, reports FOX 4 of Dallas-Fort Worth.
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This undated photo provided by the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office shows accused Bryan Riser, a former Dallas police officer. (Associated Press)
“I just want to say it here. This section I used to love, no, I have to say, they despised me. They embarrassed me and embarrassed my family in a lie of faith,” Riser said after walking out of jail on Wednesday.
Dallas police chief Eddie Garcia, who fired Riser days after his arrest, denies allegations that he rushed the case and arrested him. Garcia added that he was disappointed with the judge’s decision to drop the charges against the former official and said the department would continue with the investigation, FOX 4 reported.
The chief said he stood by the detectives’ work in the case. He also noted that State District Judge Tammy Kemp signed two affidavits of arrest on March 3 and Monday, according to the Dallas Morning News. Detectives have submitted an updated affidavit to correct errors in the first place.
During the court hearing on Wednesday, Detective Esteban Montenegro admitted that he made mistakes in the first possible cause of the statement that Riser arrested, the newspaper reported. It included cell phone data incorrectly claiming Riser was abducted and killed near Saenz and Douglas.
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From an exchange of words between prosecutor Jason Fine and Dallas in court in court, it appears that police and prosecutors only discussed the case in December 2019. Prosecutors, however, did not think the police had a firm case. Fine also mentioned that prosecutors told police last month that they still did not think there was enough evidence.
Riser was arrested on March 4 and was released five days later. He is accused of hiring three men – Kevin Kidd, Emmanuel Kilpatrick and Jermon Simmons – to kill Douglas and Saenz. Kilpatrick later came forward and involved Riser, saying he ordered the killings, according to police reports and reports.
Riser defender Toby Shook said Garcia should not have ordered the arrest.
“You saw the affidavit that contained all sorts of mistakes – that’s, I think, what they relied on,” Shook said. ‘To put him in jail for more than a month, and ruin his reputation on the basis of the narrowest evidence. That is the biggest problem in this case, the decision of Chief Garcia to order the arrest. ‘
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Dallas police said they have no plans to reinstate him, adding that the murder case was not the only reason he was fired, FOX 4 reported.
Associated Press contributed to this report