In the fall of 2016, the life of 30-year-old Michael Tyson Dilda was cut short in what authorities would come to describe as a complex and tragic love triangle. On the morning of October 17, 2016, Dilda was found deceased in his Rock Hill, South Carolina, home on Oleen Cove Road. The cause of death was a single gunshot wound. His ex-girlfriend, with whom he shared a child, discovered his body after being unable to reach him by phone.
The investigation into the homicide quickly focused on
a person of interest, Richard David Estes, who was 32 at the time. Estes was the husband of the woman who had a child with Dilda. Investigators learned that the woman, Christina Estes, was at Dilda's home on the morning of the shooting. Prosecutors would later reveal that she had gone there to watch a movie and make breakfast. Richard Estes allegedly followed her to the residence. There, he confronted Dilda at the apartment door and shot him in the chest with a. 357 Magnum. Initially, Christina Estes was not truthful with law enforcement about the events, claiming she had simply found Dilda after he had been shot. However, she later admitted she was present in the bedroom when she heard the gunshot.
Richard David Estes turned himself in to the York County Sheriff's Office and was initially charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. The motive, as outlined by prosecutors, stemmed from the ongoing romantic involvement between his wife and Dilda. The situation was further complicated by allegations of harassment, with reports that Dilda had been sending taunting text messages to Estes. During legal proceedings, it was stated that there were 'no clean hands' in the matter, with a history of domestic abuse and harassment being part of the volatile dynamic between the three individuals.
In August 2017, Richard Estes entered a guilty plea to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. Prosecutors and Dilda's family had sought a maximum sentence, with Dilda's father stating that while his son was not a saint, he did not deserve to die in such a manner. The defense pointed to the ongoing provocation and the emotional turmoil of the situation. Ultimately, a judge sentenced Richard Estes to seven years in prison for his role in the death of Michael Tyson Dilda, bringing a legal conclusion to a case born from a deeply troubled and emotional conflict.
