WACO - McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna says his office is taking a new, aggressive attitude against violent crime.

As evidence, Reyna presented three examples in a Wednesday news conference: a set of capital murder indictments three months after the crime, aggressive indictments against a man who robbed multiple homeowners, and a complete arrest, indictment and guilty plea within two months of a deadly high speed crash.

"That (new) attitude will include thorough, swift and aggressive justice for individuals who want to prey on the good people of our community," Reyna promised.

"In our community we're in a fight for our lives against the criminal element and we have to step it up, we have to," he added.

A McLennan County grand jury indicted five men on capital murder charges Wednesday, after a March 28th shooting at the Lakewood Villa apartments on Spring Street in Waco.

Ricky Donnell Cummings, Darvis Tyrell Cummings, Albert Leslie Love, Jr., Tyrece Edward Richards and Kennedy Wayne Hardway are charged in the ambush shootings of two men that night.

The bullet-riddled victim's bodies were still in their car when police arrived, while two other men were wounded running for their lives fleeing the scene.

Reyna says he won't rule out seeking the death penalty against all five suspects. "They were all part of the plan, the execution and the covering up of the crime," he reasoned.

Another Waco man, Delarontae Walker, was indicted on three counts of aggravated robbery for attacks on homeowners.

Reyna says people shouldn't have to live in fear in their own homes.

"That is someone's kingdom, their castle, someplace they're safe and when they're gone away and our citizens are working to pay for that castle the idea of having someone invade their home is purely unacceptable."

He told the media his office will no longer offer probation for burglary of a habitation offenders.

Another criminal may have already gotten the message about the D.A.'s new get-tough policy. Rafael Lara pled guilty to the maximum sentence - 20 years - for evading arrest with a deadly weapon, plus another 20 years on additional charges.

Fleeing deputies in a high speed pursuit in Waco March 27th, Lara crashed into a Waco city transit bus near downtown. That bus then hit and killed an innocent bystander, Michael Benevides. Lara will have to serve at least ten years of that evading arrest sentence, two years on a state jail felony charge for theft, and then the other sentences will kick in for possession of a firearm and other charges.

In just five months in office, Reyna says his prosecutors have put 1366 cases into the felony system -- nearly 90 percent of the total for all of last year by his predecessor.

His goal is to make criminals think twice before they commit a violent crime against someone, "we want them to think for one moment, for a second, that he's going to get caught and face and answer for his conduct and have consequences".

Bail for each of the Spring Street murders suspects is now $1.5 million each, making it unlikely they will get out of jail before trial.
http://www.kxxv.com/story/15001314/f...adly-shootings