Juan Ricardo Hernandez Esparza, age 34, male, was shot during an apparent carjacking outside an apartment complex on Lombardy Lane in Northwest Dallas in the pre-dawn hours of August 18, 2025. Dallas police responded around 3:20–3:30 a.m. and found him in the parking lot with a gunshot wound; he was taken to a hospital where he died from his injuries. Investigators believe the shooting happened as his vehicle was being stolen, and officers began reviewing security video from nearby cameras to track who was responsible. The scene was initially described as the Ventana Ridge/Jones Creek apartments area in Northwest Dallas.
Details gathered by detectives indicated that Juan Ricardo Hernandez Esparza, age 34, male, had been sitting in his car on a video call when a witness heard someone order him to get out; a struggle followed and a gunshot was heard. The victim was discovered shortly afterward and could not be saved despite emergency transport.
Within days, Dallas police made an arrest. On August 22, 2025, officers took 22-year-old Rocky Mejia Jr. into custody and charged him with capital murder in the death of Juan Ricardo Hernandez Esparza, age 34, male. At the time of reporting he was being held on bonds totaling roughly half a million dollars, and investigators said additional arrests could follow as they probed whether the stolen vehicle had been used in other robberies in the region.
A second suspect was later identified. On September 4, 2025, police arrested 23-year-old Jeremiah Grice, who, like Mejia, was charged with capital murder; records also listed an aggravated robbery charge for Grice. Authorities alleged that Juan Ricardo Hernandez Esparza, age 34, male, was shot after a struggle with two men attempting to steal his car, and both suspects were booked into the Dallas County Jail to await further proceedings.
