On June 18, 2015, Eleaquin Ramirez Cardona, aged 23, was fatally shot during a robbery outside the Bent Tree Apartments in Fort Worth, Texas. He and his brother Randy were returning home after a late-night soccer game when they were confronted by three armed men. All the suspects were dressed in dark clothing and had their faces covered. They demanded money from the brothers, and during the ensuing confrontation, Eleaquin was shot and died at the scene. Randy was also injured but survived the attack.
The suspects were identified as part of a group that included Jared Ford, Washington, and Morales, among others. They had planned the robbery in search of "easy money," and were armed with firearms, including a Beretta .22-caliber gun. The group targeted Eleaquin and Randy specifically as they walked through the parking lot of the apartment complex. During the confrontation, Eleaquin attempted to resist, and this led to his being fatally shot by one of the suspects, later identified as Jared Ford. After the crime, the suspects fled the area and took measures to avoid detection, including escaping to Florida, where Ford reportedly confessed to having killed someone during the robbery.
The case initially went unsolved, but through persistent investigation by law enforcement, including testimony from accomplices and forensic evidence, Jared Ford was eventually arrested and brought to trial. Ford was convicted of murder and aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, and he received a combined sentence of 25 years for murder and 10 years for aggravated robbery. During the trial, the court heard testimony about the group's activities leading up to and following the murder, as well as evidence linking Ford to other similar robberies in the area involving Hispanic victims targeted in apartment parking lots.
