Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Statement, evidence won’t be suppressed in murder trial
FAYETTEVILLE — A judge ruled Tuesday that statements made by a man charged in the fatal shooting of his ex-girlfriend and evidence collected by police will be admitted in court if he goes to trial.
David Velazquez-Diaz, 47, is charged with capital murder and is being held in the Washington County Detention Center in lieu of $150,000 bond. He’s also being held on a parole violation with no bond set.
If convicted, capital murder is punishable by life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
Velazquez-Diaz was given a Nov. 5 trial date.
Washington County Circuit Judge Mark Lindsay ruled none of Velazquez-Diaz’s constitutional rights were violated by his statement to police or in the gathering of evidence by police using search warrants.
Officers found Carol Lorenzo-Olivera, 36, about 1:45 p.m. June 24, 2022, laying face down in a parking lot of an apartment complex at 1299 Electric Ave. Lorenzo-Olivera underwent surgery at a local hospital but died.
Police traced Velazquez-Diaz to an apartment complex at 405 Sisters Ave. He surrendered after about an hour. Velazquez-Diaz told police he went to help Lorenzo-Olivera with her car and “the firearm discharged,” according to an arrest report.
Velazquez-Diaz pleaded guilty May 31, 2016, to aggravated assault on a family member, four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and a felon in possession of a gun. The conviction stemmed from a December 2015 arrest when he pointed a loaded gun at his wife and threatened to kill her while the children were in the house, according to court records. He was sentenced to 20 years, with 12 years suspended, in the state Department of Corrections. He also has a drug conviction.
Velazquez-Diaz was released from the Arkansas Department of Corrections in October 2017, according to department records.