Duncanville shooting: Man charged with murdering his girlfriend day after 911 was called for argument
Police: Suspect seen buying gas can before killing
Duncanville police have charged a man with the murder of his longtime girlfriend after she was found dead in an apartment fire. Surveillance camera footage captured him buying gas and a lighter hours before his apartment caught on fire, according to arrest documents.
DUNCANVILLE, Texas - Duncanville police have charged a man with the murder of his longtime girlfriend after she was found dead in an apartment fire.
Surveillance camera footage captured him buying gas and a lighter hours before his apartment caught on fire, according to arrest documents.
James Rias, 63, has been charged with the murder of Regina Phillips, 55. Duncanville police said the pair had lived together for years.
Phillips was found shot in the head after firefighters responded to a fire at an apartment on Oriole Boulevard Monday. Police said they had been called to the home in the past at least two times for verbal spats between the couple.
Police believe Rias shot his longtime girlfriend in the head sometime between Sunday night and early Monday morning.
Phillips' body was found just after 6 a.m. Monday when Duncanville police officers and firefighters responded to the couple's apartment for reports of a fire.
"Ms. Phillips was evacuated from the apartment, and shortly after, it was determined that she suffered a gunshot wound to the head," explained Duncanville Interim Police Chief Matthew Stogner.
"Due to the smoky conditions inside, they brought that person outside," explained Duncanville Interim Fire Chief Greg Chase. "And that's when they determined they couldn't provide any type of resuscitative efforts."
James Rias (Source: Dallas County Sheriff's Office)
Phillips was pronounced dead on the scene.
Police say Rias was there when they responded to Monday’s fire.
Court documents say Rias repeatedly asked if firefighters found Phillips while they worked to put out the fire. He allegedly told officers on scene that the two made up after the fight that brought out police. He told them they later went out and returned home at midnight and went to sleep.
Officers quickly learned Ria’s story wasn’t true.
Surveillance showed Rias leaving the apartment after midnight and "at 12:30 a.m., Rias is seen leaving and is captured on RaceTrac security cameras purchasing a red gas can and a cigarette lighter."
Cameras capture Rias throughout the night coming and going from the apartment.
Shortly after 6 a.m., Rias was seen leaving the apartment while an explosion was heard in the background along with a flash of light.
The department said they arrested Rias for unrelated traffic violations on Monday while they investigated the shooting. He was treated for second-degree burns.
On Wednesday, Rias was officially charged with murder and taken to the Dallas County Jail.
Chief Stogner said officers had just been to the couple's apartment the day before on Sunday. Rias reportedly called 911 to report a verbal altercation he was having with Phillips.
"Based on their interviews and evidence, no family violence occurred at that incident," he said.
A police report was filed, and the officers left.
Phillips' daughter, Jessica, told FOX 4 on Tuesday that she was there when the fight happened and left after to stay with a friend. Hours later, she would learn her mom was dead.
Jessica said Rias was always nice to her and she never thought he would do something like this.
Featured
Woman shot in the head found in Duncanville apartment fire
Duncanville police say they were called out to an apartment on a domestic disturbance call one day before a woman was found shot in the head inside that apartment.
"Knowing who did it and I was around him, having conversations when my mom used to be at work, it’s a different kind of hurt," she said.
Investigators have not revealed a possible motive, nor would they elaborate on that fire.
"There was an active fire inside the apartment," Chase said. "I'll leave it at that until the fire investigation is done."
Duncanville police said they had also been called to the apartment before Sunday.
On March 3, Phillips had called 911 about a verbal argument with Rias. Police said no arrests were made that time either. Phillips left the location with her belongings.
The fire marshal is working to determine if the fire was the result of arson. If so, and it is determined Rias is responsible, he could face additional charges.
According to the arrest affidavit, Rias refused to answer questions when police interviewed him after his arrest. He is being held on a $1 million bond.