Triggerman in death of Austin teen gets 20 years
The first of three men who pleaded guilty in connection to the shooting death of a teenage member of their Austin street gang was sentenced Friday to 20 years and one day in prison.
Orlando Arroyo, the 22-yearold triggerman, apologized in open court for his role in the death of Darian Longoria, saying, “I know I’ve caused a lot of pain.”
Arroyo and two other men, Richard Ortega and Brian Aguayo, pleaded guilty this year to killing the 16-year-old Longoria, whose remains were found by hikers along Onion Creek near the airport in early 2016. The men were members of the Dove Spring Gangsters and were involved in drug robberies, court records show.
U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks called the plea agreement Arroyo reached with federal prosecutors “very favorable,” as it fell under the 30-year sentence recommended in a pretrial screening. Arroyo’s lengthy criminal history, which factored into the recommendation, began with a burglary of a habitation arrest when he was 13.
Federal prosecutor Matt Harding hinted that Arroyo had assisted in the government’s investigation, telling the court “he took steps to do what he can.” downtown courthouse have become dire, some City Council members worry about moving a court that processes 300,000 cases a year to a spot outside of the city’s center. They are concerned the move could lead to individuals missing court dates and then facing warrants for their arrests.
“This location is pretty much transit inaccessible,” Council Member Greg Casar said of the MetCenter during a work session last week at City Hall. “It would oftentimes take two hours and multiple (bus) transfers to get there.”
Council Member Ora Houston echoed Casar’s concerns.
“That is so far,” Houston said. “I have veterans that won’t take the bus to the VA hospital because it takes them so long to get there. It is almost a disincentive for people (to go).”
A VA outpatient clinic is adjacent to the MetCenter, where the court might be relocated.
Council Member Jimmy Flannigan, who heads the body’s judicial committee, represents District 6 on the northwestern edge of Austin, the district that would be farthest from a relocated courthouse at the MetCenter.
Although he recognizes that the proposed location is “not ideal,” Flannigan said, “it is not intended to be the world’s most perfect court location. It is really more about how can we get out of the bad facility we are in now and what are the options available to us.”
The existing Municipal Court building, built in 1953, The Austin City Council is considering temporarily relocating the Municipal Court. Austin Municipal Court still has 1950s-era electrical technology. A fuse box governs a knob-and-tube wiring system, and the sewage system is on the brink of a total failure, Grubb said. And because asbestos is found in most walls and ceiling tiles, even simple maintenance can require biohazard suits.
Earnest attempts to fix the dilapidated building, which is adjacent to Austin Police Department headquarters, have failed. In 2006, voters passed a bond with the intention of millions being spent to build a new Municipal Court, but city officials later decided they lacked enough money to complete the project.
In February, the council approved a resolution asking the staff to find locations in both North and South Austin that could house the Municipal Court. A shuttered Home Depot the city owns at St. Johns Avenue and Interstate 35 was once being considered as a court location, but the council has asked staff to find another use for that vacant property.
Flannigan said the MetCenter qualifies as an attractive location because the building the city could lease is essentially a shell that would allow the specialized conditions needed to house the municipal courts. Those requirements include higher-than-normal ceilings for courtrooms and the ability to install security partitions to safeguard staff and judges.
“I think we all recognize that having to go into a temporary lease space is not ideal,” Grubb said. “However, we are almost in an emergency situation.”