Roger Dale Aliff, a 60-year-old man from Wichita Falls, Texas, died on October 4, 2016. His death was the result of a violent crime, and the circumstances surrounding his murder have been the subject of legal proceedings and investigations. Aliff was found bleeding in Lucy Park with gunshot wounds to his right thigh and upper left chest. He was transported to United Regional Health Care System, where he was pronounced dead.
The autopsy confirmed that Aliff's death was a homicide, and a .25 caliber projectile was removed from his body.
The investigation revealed that Aliff had visited a friend's house on Avenue I before the shooting. The friend reported receiving a distressing call from Aliff shortly after he left, during which Aliff sounded as if he were in pain and distress. The friend also heard a male voice yelling at Aliff to empty his pockets, indicating a robbery was taking place. Detectives discovered through phone records that Aliff had been in frequent contact with a particular phone number before his death. This number belonged to a woman, and a search warrant confirmed the phone's presence in the area at the time of the shooting.
Two suspects were identified in connection with Aliff's murder: Brandon Alexander Gilleland and Dustin Todd Hord. Gilleland, 31, pleaded guilty to the murder of Roger Dale Aliff and was sentenced to 30 years in prison as part of a plea bargain. He was originally charged with capital murder by terror threat/other felony, which is punishable by the death penalty if the prosecutor seeks it. Hord, 40, was also charged with capital murder by terror threat/other felony and was held in Wichita County Jail on a $1 million bond. Police allege that Gilleland and Hord killed Aliff during a drug robbery. Witnesses reported that Hord and Gilleland had planned to rob Aliff as revenge because he had sent inappropriate pictures to Gilleland's girlfriend. The murder weapon was believed to be a .25- or .32-caliber handgun.
The case against Hord is still pending, and he remains in jail awaiting trial. The investigation into Aliff's murder revealed that the suspects had picked up Aliff to get Xanax, but their true intention was to rob him. During the robbery, Gilleland shot Aliff twice before they dumped him in Lucy Park. A passerby found Aliff, who was still alive at the time, but he later died at the hospital. The suspects' vehicle, a Volkswagen Jetta, was taken to Decatur and burned to destroy evidence. The legal proceedings and investigations continue to seek justice for Roger Dale Aliff and his family.
