.gif)
The legal proceedings involving the parties related to a double murder in the towns of Eagle Lake and Columbus in 2021 have continued to make progress as a man near the situation received a sentencing of 10 years’ deferred adjudication, also known as probation.
Daegen Mendoza, 26, was connected as part of a group firing deadly weapons at a residence that resulted in the death of Eagle Lake resident Jonathan Segura. A group consisting of Mendoza and two men from Garwood, Dante Stevens and Dontrae Johnson, were accused of deadly conduct after allegedly firing fully automatic weapons at a residence.
Mendoza turned himself in Sept. 13, 2021 with the charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The court found him guilty of the felony penalty, but allowed for a plea deal that would prevent Mendoza from seeing jail time.
The plea was accepted, leading to a 10-year probation and a $1,000 fine. The timeline of 10 years is a common sentence for felony probation in Texas.
While Mendoza engaged in dangerous conduct, the murder of Segura has been centered on the actions of Stevens and Johnson. Johnson received a 12-year prison sentence earlier in the year, while Stevens awaits his trial that includes a murder charge on the docket.
Mendoza’s sentence is the most lenient penalty so far with convictions involving the deaths of Segura and Columbus resident Keaton Hancock.
As Mendoza was not charged with being a direct cause of the murder, the plea deal allowed him to remain out of prison under the supervision of the court. Some of the heftier sentences include Stevens’s 12-year stint and the life sentence for Jose “Joey” Casanova who was convicted for the murder of Hancock.
Stevens, Cairo Ruvalcaba and Ethan Lee Dulany are the three impending trials that also have alleged connections to these murders. Each of them has a murder charge attached to their docket, making Casanova’s case and sentence a potential precedent.
Prosecutors and police have withheld sensitive information that may be used in the upcoming legal proceedings, but updates will be reported as provided.
